Tag: coverage

The Factors Impacting Your 5G Bandwidth Speeds

The dawn of 5G promised lightning-fast internet speeds, heralding a new era of connectivity. However, the reality often falls short of these lofty expectations, leaving many users frustrated and wondering why their 5G speeds are not as blazing fast as advertised. Several factors can affect your 5G bandwidth speeds, ranging from technical limitations to network congestion. Let’s delve into some key points to understand what could be influencing your 5G experience.

Frequency Band(s) Your Modem or Phone is Connected To

One of the primary determinants of your 5G bandwidth speed is the frequency band your device is connected to. 5G operates across three main frequency bands: low, mid, and high. Each band has its advantages and limitations. Low-band 5G offers wider coverage but relatively modest speed enhancements compared to existing 4G LTE networks. Mid-band 5G strikes a balance between coverage and speed, providing faster speeds than low-band but with middling coverage. High-band, also known as mmWave, offers the highest speeds but suffers from limited coverage and poor penetration through obstacles. Therefore, your proximity to a cell tower and the band it employs can significantly impact your 5G speeds.

Limitations of Your Modem or Phone

The capabilities of your modem or phone play a crucial role in determining the speeds you can achieve. Different devices support different frequency bands, and their performance may vary accordingly. For instance, a device equipped with support for high-band frequencies will likely achieve faster speeds in areas where high-band 5G is available compared to a device limited to low-band frequencies. Upgrading to newer devices that support a wider range of frequency bands can potentially enhance your 5G experience.

User Load at the Cell Tower

Network congestion is another key factor that can affect 5G bandwidth speeds. If too many users are connected to the same cell tower simultaneously, it can lead to decreased speeds for everyone. During peak hours or in densely populated areas, the demand for bandwidth may exceed the capacity of the cell tower, resulting in slower speeds for users. Network operators are continuously expanding infrastructure and optimizing networks to mitigate congestion, but it remains a persistent challenge in densely populated areas.

Limitations on Your Data Plan

Even if your device and the network infrastructure are capable of delivering high-speed 5G connectivity, your data plan may impose limitations. Some data plans throttle speeds after reaching a certain threshold of data usage, while others prioritize certain types of traffic, such as video streaming or gaming, which can impact overall bandwidth speeds. Understanding the terms and conditions of your data plan and choosing an appropriate plan that aligns with your usage patterns is essential for maximizing your 5G experience.

The Speed of Your WiFi or Ethernet Adapter

Lastly, the speed of your WiFi or Ethernet adapter can affect the performance of your 5G connection, especially when using a home or office network. Even if you have a fast 5G connection, a slow WiFi router or Ethernet adapter can become a bottleneck, limiting the speeds you can achieve on your devices. Upgrading to newer networking equipment capable of handling higher speeds can help unleash the full potential of your 5G connection.

As you can see, achieving optimal 5G bandwidth speeds involves a combination of factors. This includes the frequency band your device is connected to, the capabilities of your device, network congestion, data plan limitations, and the speed of your networking equipment. By understanding these factors and taking appropriate measures, users can enhance their 5G experience and unlock the full potential of next-generation connectivity.

By 5G , , , , , , , ,

T-Mobile’s 5G Revolution: Nationwide Coverage Just Got Faster!

In a groundbreaking move, T-Mobile has announced the activation of its 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum, acquired through FCC Auction 108 in August 2022. With over 60 million subscribers eagerly anticipating improved 5G experiences in the coming days, the Un-carrier is set to reshape the 5G landscape across the United States.

The 5G SALE Act Unleashes T-Mobile’s Potential

T-Mobile’s journey to utilize the acquired mid-band spectrum was marked by challenges. Despite winning 7,156 licenses covering 2,724 counties in the auction, the company faced regulatory hurdles. The FCC auction authority expiration and subsequent legislation, namely the 5G SALE Act, paved the way for T-Mobile to unleash the potential of its acquired licenses.

Mid-Band Spectrum: The Goldilocks of 5G

The 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum is a big deal for T-Mobile subscribers. Unlike high-band mmWave spectrum, mid-band offers a balance between speed and coverage. It travels longer distances and is less prone to obstruction by obstacles like buildings or trees. Often referred to as the “Goldilocks of 5G spectrum,” mid-band strikes a perfect balance between the ultra-fast mmWave and the more widespread, but slower, low-band spectrum.

T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G Expansion

On March 6, 2024, T-Mobile announced a significant expansion of its Ultra Capacity 5G coverage. By activating the 2.5 GHz spectrum, the Un-carrier aims to enhance the 5G experience for tens of millions of users, particularly those in rural areas. The added capacity will result in an immediate performance boost for customers, marking a crucial step in bridging the digital divide.

Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, expressed excitement about the development, stating, “This type of execution is exactly why T-Mobile is the new network leader in the U.S., and we continue to give customers the greatest value at the same time.”

Impact on Rural Communities

T-Mobile’s strategic investment of $304 million in FCC Auction 108 covered over 7,000 county-based licenses, impacting more than 80 million people, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population. With a focus on rural areas, the Un-carrier is delivering improved connectivity and performance, fostering healthy competition and choice for millions of Americans.

In the coming days, T-Mobile will activate the spectrum, covering nearly 60 million customers over almost 300,000 square miles. The company plans to deploy the rest as new towers are built, ensuring a comprehensive and robust 5G network.

Nationwide Reach: What to Expect

Wondering if you’ll benefit from the added capacity? T-Mobile secured licenses in nearly every county across the U.S., ensuring widespread 5G coverage. Even if you aren’t in one of the 80 million+ areas directly impacted, you’re likely to experience a 5G boost wherever you go – whether traveling, working, or playing.

For example, in Louisiana, the spectrum activation will benefit customers in 92% of the counties, leading to immediate improvements in connectivity for more than 1.7 million people, with nearly 500,000 in rural areas. Similar enhancements will be seen in Pennsylvania, reaching 2.2 million people, including nearly one million in rural communities.

T-Mobile’s Unmatched 5G Network

T-Mobile’s commitment to expanding its 5G network has propelled it to the top of the industry. The Un-carrier is now crowned the overall network leader in the U.S., boasting the largest, fastest, and most awarded 5G network. With coverage extending over 330 million people across two million square miles, T-Mobile surpasses the combined reach of AT&T and Verizon. More than 300 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, with over twice the square miles of coverage compared to its closest competitors.

For those yet to experience T-Mobile’s network, the company offers a free trial with Network Pass. Users with unlocked eSIM-compatible phones can enjoy three months of T-Mobile’s unlimited smartphone data, including 5G. The transition to T-Mobile is made seamless with Easy Switch, allowing users to make the move in just minutes from their phones.

In conclusion, T-Mobile’s activation of the 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum marks a significant milestone in the evolution of 5G connectivity across the United States. As the Un-carrier continues to enhance its network, millions of subscribers can look forward to a faster, more reliable 5G experience, solidifying T-Mobile’s position as the new leader in the U.S. telecom landscape.

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Dish’s 5G Network Makes Significant Strides with the FCC

Yesterday, Dish Network made significant strides in the 5G realm, announcing the successful clearance of two out of three 5G network buildout requirements mandated by the FCC. The completion of the final requirement is anticipated by next year.

Dish had long held unused spectrum designated for wireless network construction. Despite this, they remained inactive for a decade. However, in June of the previous year, they achieved the FCC’s 70% population coverage benchmark for their 5G network.

With the recent FCC approvals, Dish’s 5G network gains substantial ground in the wireless market. The acquisition of Boost Mobile from Sprint also contributed to their growth, although the company continues to face challenges in attracting new users.

According to Dish’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the pending commitment involves verifying the network speeds. The company is mandated to provide download speeds of 35 Mbps and will employ an FCC-approved drive test process.

Looking ahead, Dish faces a more daunting task in 2025: covering 75% of the country’s population. Experts highlight the considerable difficulty due to geographic obstacles, especially in reaching sparsely populated remote areas.

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T-Mobile First to Provide Up to 3.3Gbps on 5G SA Network

After successful tests back in May, T-Mobile announced on Tuesday that it has deployed four-carrier aggregation for customers. This boosts speeds on its 5G standalone (SA) network. The carrier says the speeds are “insanely fast,” which according to them, means up to 3.3Gbps! While it is only available in parts of the U.S. now, it will be nationwide in only a few weeks. 

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple 5G channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. The Un-carrier is using four 5G channels of sub-6 GHz spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G, one channel of 1900 MHz and one channel of 600 MHz spectrum. They’ve compared it to taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway. 

Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be the first to experience four-carrier aggregation with more devices to follow. And don’t forget, T-Mobile also provides these customers with VoNR access, which is voice calling over the 5G network. Customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times, meaning less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. More importantly though, VoNR enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core.

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OpenSignal Reports: Who is the Best Cellular Provider?

OpenSignal has released their collection of data from cellular providers over the dates of September 16 to December 14 of 2022. It will be no surprise to some of us that in these cellular reports, T-Mobile has won out above the rest, yet again. 

On the mobile network experience report, multiple factors were tested. For overall experience, the cellular report included video, games, voice app, download speed, and upload speed. For coverage, they checked availability across the providers. Lastly, they checked for consistency in excellent quality and core quality. 

Experience and coverage might make sense, but what about consistency? Per OpenSignal, “Consistent Quality measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte and the percentage of tests attempted which did not succeed due to a connectivity issue on either the download or server response component.”

Core Consistent Quality represents common, but less demanding use cases such as SD video streaming, web browsing, and email use. Excellent Consistent Quality is designed for higher quality applications such as live video streaming and streaming video games. See how Consistent quality metrics are calculated here.

The only awards that T-Mobile did not take was in the Availability section. That award goes to the previous champion, AT&T. AT&T and Verizon were only 0.2 percentage points away from each other. T-Mobile came up last with a score of 98%.

OpenSignal’s 5G Experience Report awards were a bit of a toss up between Verizon and T-Mobile. The UnCarrier took a slight lead by winning in 4 categories (download and upload speeds, as well as availability and reach), versus Verizon’s 3 (Video, Games, and Voice app experiences). Much like the mobile network experience report, the 5G cellular report tests the same categories, but with 5G specifically, and less the consistency awards. Instead, in coverage, they checked both availability and reach.

Experience awards were all quite close, with Verizon just barely winning out over T-Mobile. The only exception being 5G download speeds. T-Mobile was the clear winner here, topping out at 186.3 Mbps versus 84.9 Mbps from Verizon and 71.1 Mbps from AT&T. Regarding coverage and 5G Availability, T-Mobile won again with a far lead of 30% over its closest competitor, AT&T. 

Per OpenSignal, “5G Reach measures the 5G mobile experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users – i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. 5G Reach for each operator is measured on a scale from 0 to 10.” The results were a bit closer on this one. With a score of 8.3, T-Mobile had a little over a 2 point lead ahead of AT&T and about 4 points from Verizon.  

Something to keep in mind when reviewing the results for yourself – tests were done at the national and regional level. While T-Mobile may be the majority winner, take note of the winners in your state. You may find a different provider is more appropriate.

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How Does T-Mobile’s 5G Coverage Compare?

[T-Mobile] BELLEVUE, Washington (Dec. 12, 2022)— Consider the mic dropped. T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) — America’s 5G leader — announced today that it has expanded 5G coverage and capacity, now reaching 323 million people with Extended Range 5G and 260 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G. With the achievement, T-Mobile reaches its mid-band 5G year-end goal weeks ahead of schedule and moves closer to its target of covering 300 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G by the end of 2023. The Un-carrier is also adding a massive boost to its Ultra capacity 5G network with a new nationwide layer of mid-band 5G spectrum: 1900 MHz.

“We’re rapidly executing on our vision to deliver the highest capacity network this country has ever seen,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’ve led in 5G coverage from the beginning, delivering a massive 5G footprint that continues to grow. And with Ultra Capacity 5G, it’s undeniable that T-Mobile customers have access to the most powerful 5G network around.”

As coverage expands, T-Mobile is also bringing in additional capacity for even faster speeds. The Un-carrier has now deployed 1900 MHz spectrum — another layer of mid-band 5G (the fast stuff) — nationwide. Using a highway analogy, the new layer of 5G spectrum adds lanes to the road so traffic can zoom. And for those who really want to go fast, the Un-carrier has begun lighting up three-carrier aggregation — combining three channels of mid-band 5G spectrum — which in tests produced peak speeds topping 3 Gbps on T-Mobile’s 5G standalone network. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S22 are leveraging the capability in parts of the network now. Three-carrier aggregation will expand nationwide, and be accessible by additional devices, in the near future.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G with the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. Customers on other networks who want a better experience can try the country’s most-awarded 5G network now for free. With T-Mobile’s Network Pass, people with unlocked eSIM-compatible phones can experience T-Mobile for three months at no charge with unlimited smartphone data, including 5G. And when they’re ready to make the move to T-Mobile, they can switch in minutes right from their phone with Easy Switch.

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What Does USCellular’s 5G Coverage Look Like?

More than 50% of company’s footprint covered by 5G

[USCellular] CHICAGO (Dec. 7, 2022) – UScellular’s 5G network is expanding in several states thanks to an innovative software update that enhances the 5G coordination between its cell sites and builds on the company’s efforts to deploy smart networks. With this update, 1.4 million more people now have access to the company’s 5G network.

Using features within 4G and 5G technology known as X2 coordination, UScellular can extend existing 5G service to neighboring sites, making 5G available to more customers. 

In addition to extending 5G service availability and coverage area, UScellular has broadened its automation capabilities to accelerate the deployment of these services with greater autonomy, improved real time network updates, and greater accuracy with a feature called “Automatic Neighbor Relations” (ANR). This automation complements the work of UScellular engineers and allows them to focus on other high value efforts that contribute to the quality and reliability of the network.

“These updates allow us to get more out of our investment and enhance our customers’ experience whether they are accessing our 5G network on their smartphone, tablet or for home internet,” said Robert Jakubek, vice president of engineering and network operations at UScellular. “Our local network teams have been busy turning this technology on for customers from coast to coast, and we look forward to more customers taking advantage of our fast, high-quality network.”

This expansion is part of UScellular’s long-term network modernization plan. It represents a 5% increase in the company’s 5G coverage, expanding these higher data speeds to more than 50% of its footprint. It is one element of the company’s use of Artificial Intelligence technology to help ensure its network runs at peak performance. UScellular plans to implement ANR on future tower builds and upgrades as it continues to deploy 5G to more of its markets.

For more information about UScellular’s 5G network, go to uscellular.com/5G.

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Will Verizon Meet Their Goal of 175 Million People Covered by Year’s End?

Verizon Wireless has just announced that their ultra fast, ultra reliable 5G Ultra Wideband service is now covering more than 175 million people. This is a goal they accomplished 1 month early. They also will be offering nationwide 5G Ultra Wideband in Q1 of 2023. The C-Band rollout is still being drawn out, but is actually ahead of schedule by about 13 months. 

“Our customers don’t stand still and neither does our network. Today, more than one out of every two Americans now have access to 5G Ultra Wideband. We know our customers rely on our service every day and we work for them – continuously enhancing, expanding and improving our wireless network,” said Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon. “And as proud as I am to have crossed this milestone, I am equally proud of the way we are building our network – with the most advanced technologies, industry leading security, a robust fiber underpinning and a robust and varied spectrum portfolio. We are building this right. We are building this as a platform for innovation for years to come.”

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband has been compared to wired broadband for its performance. Download speeds, for example, have shown up to one gigabit per second. This allows customers to do anything from “downloading huge documents and seamlessly streaming movies in HD audio and video, to playing console quality games and conducting video chats, video conferencing and FaceTime calls with clear sound and video.”

But Wait, There’s More!

Over the coming months, the company plans on continuing its build out of the 5G Ultra Wideband network using C-band spectrum. This will take place more so in rural and suburban areas. Verizon will also enhance capacity by activating 100 MHz of C-Band spectrum in many markets, which is a big increase from the 60 MHz of spectrum available when deployment first began. Eventually, all of its licensed spectrum will be made available, up to 200 MHz, which will provide exceptional speed and capacity.

Engineers have not forgotten about the mmWave spectrum. This provides exponential capacity in areas with significantly dense populations such as venues, stadiums, arenas, airports, major metro areas, office complexes and more. Private network deployments will also benefit from mmWave. Enterprise customers would opt for this if they need the fastest, most robust 5G service available for their applications.

Providing increased security, reliability and customized experiences for customers is very important to Verizon.  Advancements will be taking place which include:

  • Fully deploying the 5G core with Verizon’s proprietary cloud platform built specifically for telco workloads 
  • Advancing the fiber network to handle exponential increases in data traffic 
  • Continuing massive virtualization of the network to add programmability and flexibility into the network 
  • Using artificial intelligence to drive reliability and performance 
  • Continuing to develop edge computing capabilities to drive down latency
  • Continuing to advance antenna configurations to drive speed and efficiency
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Do I Need A Router That Supports 5G mmWave?

2022 has brought in a lot of great things related to 5G coverage and understanding what this means for us all, and how to maximize on what is available to you now while also prepping for what is still to come.

With the announcement of 5G the conversation has brought up topics about the growing mmWave 5G Frequencies and we want to talk about familiarizing yourself with what products support this that would be great for your application and future proofing.

5G mmWave is an extremely fast 5G that although is still limited in where it can be found, is important to know if it is accessible to you. 

This technology is capable of changing the future!

  • mmWave utilizes the higher frequency radio bands for cellular(24GHz to 40GHz). 
  • If you are in an area capable of connecting to the mmWave, you are in the realm of being able to experience speeds of up to 4-5Gbps. 
    • Consumer speeds are often lower and factors like the line of sight to an mmWave Cell Tower are factors in the speeds you will experience. 
  • Locations where this can be utilized are going to be your major cities like:
    • Los Angeles
    • Denver
    • Phoenix
    • Dallas
    • Houston
    • Chicago
    • Boston
    • New York
    • Atlanta
    • Miami
    • Philadelphia and more

Whether you are in an area that already has mmWave or not, these are still great options as they also have coverage for the 5GSub6 and 4G LTE bands – so you can purchase something to work for what is available to you now and prepare for the mmWave bands at the same time!

How do these products work and what is their main purpose?

  • Great for locations with hard to reach cellular networks
  • Excellent for rooftop mounting and then delivering 5G speeds to a central networking closet for distribution to the rest of the building
  • These routers can fulfill the needs for large scale projects.
Use Case: 
Large Business/Offices
Commercial business
Residential		Use Case: 
Large Business/Offices
Commercial business
Residential
Model: BEA1-40055GB-GN

Front

Back		Model:FW2010e    
Front
Back
Enclosure: 
Metal IP67 Rated		Enclosure:
IP67 rating for water and dust ingress protection and Internal heating element for startup and operation in cold environments
Wi-Fi Standard: 
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
(installation only)		Wi-Fi Standard: 
N/A
Ethernet Ports: 
2x 2.5 GbE RJ45 (LAN/WAN switchable)		Ethernet Ports: 
1x 5Gbps LAN Port
Downlink/Uplink Datarate: 
Up to 7.53 Gbps*/Up to 1.6 Gbps**

*based on 20 Layers LTE + TDD (100 MHz BW, 256 QAM, 4×4)
**based on 2 Layers LTE + TDD (200 MHz BW, 64 QAM, SISO)

Maximum Throughput:
2 Gbps (Passthrough)		Downlink/Uplink Datarate: 
5Gbps/1.8Gbps*

** Theoretical max download and upload speeds. Actual speeds experienced are dependent on carrier network and coverage.


Maximum Throughput:
5 Gbps
Supported Bands:
5G mmW: n260, n261
5G Sub6: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79
4G LTE: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B32, B34, B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B43, B46, B48, B66, B71
WCDMA: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B8, B9, B19		Supported Bands:
5G mmW: n257, n258, n260, n261
5G Sub6: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n46, n48, n66, n71, n77, n78
4G LTE: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B32, B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B43, B46, B48, B66, B71
Antenna(s): External
Low/mid-band FR1 5G & LTE: N-type female connectors, external 600 MHz – 6 GHz cellular paddle antennas (qty 4. included)

High-band FR2 5G: Internal 27.5-28.35 GHz, 37-40 GHz high-power antenna array (8×8 included)		Antenna(s): Built In
mmWave Antennas
QTM527-1/2
64-element phased array
44-45dBm Min Peak EIRP
LTE/Sub6 Antennas
3-4dBi, 3.3GHz – 3.8GHz
2-3dBi, 1.7GHz – 2.7GHz
0-4dBi, 600MHz – 960MHz
Dimensions:
12.72 x 11.8 x 3.11 in (323 x 300 x 79 mm)		Dimensions:
11.8 x 7.9 x 3.5 in (300 x 200 x 90 mm)
Operating Temps:
22 °F to 140 °F (-30 °C to 60 °C)		Operating Temps:
-4° to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)
Package Contents:
-W4005-5GB Outdoor 5G Wideband Adapter
-802.3bt 90 W PoE Injector
-Cellular antenna, outdoor 5G Low/Mid Band with N type connector (Qty. 4)
-Outdoor mounting plate
-Pole mount clamp
-Plate to assembly mounting screws & washers
-Plate to W4005 mounting screws		Package Contents:
-FW2010e Router
-PoE Injector
-SIM Tool
Price and additional information:
Click Here!		Price and additional information:
Click Here!
  • A few key features with the Inseego FW2010e:
    • Uses high-power mmWave antennas to extend the reach of 5G mmWave and bring high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity to new use cases and experiences.
    • High-power 5G mmWave radio extends network coverage up to 4.35 miles (7 km) and lowers the cost of deploying gigabit broadband services.
    • Built In Antennas – cleaner, and easier to work with!
    • Supports additional 5G mmWave bands in comparison to the W4005.
    • Certified to work with the Verizon Business Plans.

Want to know more about these items – visit our site by using the links below for more information on each product.

Still unsure what might be a good fit for your needs? Contact Us Today!

  • Email: sales@5gstore.com
  • Call: 1-833-5GSTORE (1-833-547-8673)
  • Chat: Click HERE to chat with an expert at 5Gstore!
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What is AT&T Doing to Expand 5G and In-Building Service for FirstNet

AT&T is known as America’s public safety wireless communications provider and the carrier that built FirstNet. Currently, they cover more first responders than any other network in the country. Now they are trying to expand that coverage with 5G. They’re also working on boosting dedicated in-building connectivity and enhancing 9-1-1 resiliency across Tennessee. FirstNet will be used there as a wireless backup.

“Our commitment to first responders is unparalleled. By delivering 5G on FirstNet in this unique way, public safety is getting a head start on the future of connectivity, without compromising on the reliability they require for their critical communications,” said Jason Porter, President, Public Sector and FirstNet, at AT&T. “And with first responder agencies now able to put their network in buildings where they need it most, we’re equipping first responders with a network that’s second-to-none today and for decades to come.”

Expanding 5G

AT&T has expanded 5G on FirstNet to more than 40 cities. Places like Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis can now access AT&T mid-band 5G+ spectrum. The benefits of this ultra-fast connectivity will certainly meet unique mission needs. This means first responders in about 100 markets across the country have access to at least 1 of the 3 flavors of 5G (using low-, mid- and high-band spectrum) that AT&T is delivering on FirstNet. 

Boosting dedicated in-building connectivity

In efforts to further assist first responders, a network investment was sent to AT&T from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority). This now allows qualified first responder agencies on FirstNet to get FREE Cell Booster Pro systems. Thousands of these will be dispersed and will be used in areas where the agencies have previously experienced connectivity challenges. 

Lisa Casias, the Acting CEO for the First Responder Network Authority, said in a statement to AT&T, “The FirstNet Authority’s investments in the network are guided by the needs of public safety. This unique process is a testament to FirstNet truly being built for and by public safety. We are pleased to work alongside public safety to bring them the tools needed to keep our communities safe.” 

The Cell Booster Pro is an enterprise-grade mini cell site that provides reliable connectivity for public safety on FirstNet. However it will also provide better service for employees and visitors on the AT&T commercial network. The Cell Booster Pro transmits public safety’s high-quality Band 14 spectrum as well as AT&T commercial LTE. With the ability to mesh 3 of these mini cell sites within a building, agencies can increase coverage by up to 45,000 square feet, supporting nearly 200 users. 

Enhancing 9-1-1 resiliency across Tennessee

AT&T is also uniquely positioned to equip 9-1-1 call centers, or public safety answering points (PSAPs), and first responders with an integrated infrastructure. This allows them to be more flexible, resilient and agile. This is the reason they’ve integrated AT&T ESInet with the FirstNet network. It will extend network connectivity to remote PSAPs that are either hard to reach or experiencing an outage. The State of Tennessee is leading the country in deploying this innovative solution at every PSAP across the state. This further protects the nearly 7 million people who call the Volunteer State home.

“We understand that we play a vital role in providing a link to members of our community and first responders,” says Curtis Sutton, Executive Director, Tennessee Emergency Communications Board. “We took key lessons learned following the emergency events in December 2020 and worked with AT&T and other agencies to design a solution to increase our reliability and resiliency. In addition to creating redundancies through traditional connections with AT&T ESInet, we are implementing a wireless connection with FirstNet, which gives us an even more robust dependability than we could have imagined.”

Interoperability with FirstNet enables redundancy, resiliency and agility with AT&T ESInet so that PSAPs can focus on keeping their communities safe. If AT&T ESInet detects a disruption to the primary connection of a 9-1-1 call center, it will automatically route 9-1-1 calls over the FirstNet network to a remote PSAP. This integration strengthens PSAPs to maintain operations. It also creates a path for future Next Generation 9-1-1 technologies, including videos and images. These technologies allow PSAPs to coordinate with first responders more efficiently, improve situational awareness and reduce response times.

Why is this important? 

AT&T is the only carrier that can provide end-to-end emergency communication solutions, from 9-1-1 to dispatch to response. For them, it’s all about where first responders need connectivity. Emergencies are unpredictable and during these critical moments, the public safety community needs reliable, interoperable communications. Today, more than 21,800 agencies and organizations – accounting for 3.7 million connections (as of Q2 2022) – use FirstNet to stay mission-ready. AT&T has seen significant growth in FirstNet because the public safety community recognizes commercial networks aren’t designed to properly handle the specific and niche demands of first responders. And commercial networks are not subject to the rigorous level of oversight and accountability by the federal government. That’s why public safety has FirstNet.

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