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Remember AT&T’s LTE-based FirstNet public safety network? Well, the network is starting to come live after roughly a year of partnership with the government. The wireless carrier has launched the service’s network core nationwide.
AT&T’s rollout has provided the foundation for a communications network that’s devoted to solely to emergency crews, with multiple priority elevens and toughened security measures that includes around-the-clock monitoring. The entire service hasn’t launched just yet, but now more of weeks rather than months.
The wireless company is doing a “controlled introduction” that gives first responders a relatively limited set of features. Cities that are involved will still have to connect their sites to the network core to make the network truly useful. AT&T expects to start moving more of its clients to FirstNet sometime between April and May.
AT&T’s network has the backing of all 50 states, but still under close scrutiny. In the first five years, it will partly depend on $6.5 ill ion in success-drive payments from the First Responder Network Authority. Network upgrades are also being questioned because AT&T is currently just “exploring” upgrading the FirstNet to 5G, but may not hav much of a choice upgrading once 5G network goes mainstream.
