FirstNet’s Response Fleet Supports Public Safety During COVID-19
FirstNet’s Response Fleet Supports Public Safety During COVID-19
May 8, 2020
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Connectivity and coverage are essential to public safety, and the demand for both is increasing daily as COVID-19 continues to challenge communities nationwide. To meet the need, AT&T’s FirstNet high-speed broadband communications network is delivering emergency internet connectivity to the front lines, keeping first responders powered and connected across the country.
FirstNet was built specifically for the public safety community to establish a reliable, national high-speed network for use by first responders. The need for an exclusive, dedicated network was made apparent during the September 11 terrorist attacks when communication challenges and disparities were experienced in response efforts.
The first of its kind as a public-private partnership between the federal government and AT&T, the network already has over a million connections in service; providing critical, reliable, quality communications to first responders and the teams that support them. Today, with a fleet of 76 deployable assets, FirstNet has more than 10,000 public safety agencies using the platform.
AT&T’s senior vice president of FirstNet, Jason Porter, recently commented on COVID-19 response efforts noting, “FirstNet was formed for disasters like this. This was like a fire, flood, and tornado in every city at the same time.” FirstNet’s disaster response mobile fleet can be on the scene within 14 hours of an emergency request, providing unique access to tools and connectivity not commonly available to those in public safety. For example, a FirstNet satellite truck was recently deployed to provide land-to-ship internet service for Mercy, a Navy hospital ship, to help ease the burden of COVID-19 on Los Angeles-area hospitals.
FirstNet’s robust fleet includes everything from Cell on Wheels (COWs), Flying COWs™ (Cell on Wings), Cell on Light Trucks (COLTs), trailers, generators, and drones, to its latest addition, FirstNet One – a 55-foot blimp, capable of providing wireline backhaul.
As the nation continues to battle COVID-19, public safety personnel will be at the forefront answering the call of the communities they serve. With networks like FirstNet in place and supporting their efforts, disaster response communications will be more coordinated, capable, connected, and powerful than ever before.