5G

The fourth-quarterly 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2022 concluded in December. Participants focused work on 3GPP Release 18’s (R18) feature progress and schedule. During the meetings, the group decided to extend the R18 freeze date by three months to March 2024 to ensure the quality of the R18 3GPP specifications.

Every year during the holidays, the city of St. Augustine in Florida is transformed by millions of holiday lights that bedazzle the city’s downtown in an event called Nights of Lights. As visitors marvel at the twinkling lights, St. Augustine officials use FirstNet to ensure the event runs smoothly and safely for everyone involved.

Band 14 infrastructure, FirstNet’s dedicated high-quality spectrum for public safety, has rolled out to over 1,000 cell sites across Oklahoma. This initiative will boost coverage and network capacity and help first responders in over 210 communities in Oklahoma meet both every day and urgent public safety challenges.

With the Band 14 infrastructure implemented by FirstNet, first responders across Arizona will have access to reliable coverage and experience an increased network capacity. Band 14 is a first responder network with a dedicated spectrum set aside for public safety officials to stay connected with each other whether there’s an emergency situation or for more common day-to-day responses.

The third-quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2022 concluded in September. Participants focused on 3GPP Release 18, which will become the inaugural release for 5G Advanced that includes new innovations toward the 5G vision. The plenary meetings made solid progress on the study items and work items that form the basis to advance Release 18 features.

First responders across the country put their lives on the line to keep Americans safe. Our nation’s public safety community is at the heart of the FirstNet Authority’s mission. On October 28, we recognize their sacrifices and contributions on National First Responders Day.

Public safety personnel in Colorado are leveraging FirstNet’s high-quality Band 14 spectrum and 5G connectivity to keep their rural and urban communities connected and safe. FirstNet’s advancement of public safety interests also involves working with the Safer Building Coalition, an advocacy group aimed at ensuring reliable in-building communication capabilities for first responders.

With a FirstNet network expansion underway in Minnesota, first responders will experience improved coverage and network capacity. The Band 14 infrastructure implemented by FirstNet, which is a dedicated spectrum set aside by the federal government, is helping to ensure reliable coverage, and is advancing public safety across the country.

Fire departments around the country are investing in drone technology to keep firefighters safe. Division Chief Dan Cremeans of the Durham Fire Department in North Carolina explained how their drone program helped keep firefighters safe as they battled a fire at a fertilizer plant containing hundreds of tons of highly flammable chemicals.

During September, we remember the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks and recognize National Preparedness Month. These events serve as poignant reminders that emergencies can happen at any time, and it is critical for first responders to be prepared. The FirstNet Authority is working to strengthen emergency preparedness through ensuring the men and women of public safety can communicate when and where disaster strikes.

FirstNet is furthering critical communications for first responders by expanding 5G, boosting dedicated in-building connectivity, and enhancing 9-1-1 resiliency across Tennessee with FirstNet as a wireless backup.

The first-quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2022 concluded in March. Participants completed work on 3GPP Release 17 that enhances aspects of the 5G system and marks the conclusion of the first phase of the 5G technology evolution. Delegates also made significant progress on Release 18 that will include new innovations delivering the 5G vision.

The mitigation phase of emergency management includes all the steps taken to minimize the impact of disasters. FirstNet can play an important role in mitigation. Smart cities and remote sensors are two ways that technology is advancing mitigation efforts and disaster management, and FirstNet provides the prioritized and secure connectivity that public safety needs for these technologies.

Coverage is king for public safety communications. Since its creation, the FirstNet Authority has focused on ensuring first responders have coverage and connectivity whenever and wherever they need it. Deployables, high power user equipment, and a focus on 5G are some of the new ways FirstNet subscribers can get coverage in hard-to-reach areas.

 

FirstNet is enabling public safety at Redstone Arsenal to connect with the information they need most. The dedicated network allows for more efficient communication and data-sharing. New infrastructure underway will bring additional towers and cell sites to expand coverage and 5G connectivity.

Public safety agencies and organizations in thousands of communities across the country are staying connected with FirstNet, Built with AT&T. The public safety community on FirstNet has access to the nation’s largest coverage footprint, reaching more than 2.81 million square miles across the country.

The fourth quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 concluded in December 2021. Participants spent time discussing the preliminary scoping of the Release 18 feature list, schedule, and completion dates, as well as issues related to 5G, interoperability, and standards initiatives.

In 2021, the FirstNet Authority delivered its first investments in public safety’s network to help drive a differentiated, dedicated, and enduring network to support first responders. In 2022, the FirstNet Authority will continue to advance public safety communications through close engagement with first responders and expansions in 5G and mission-critical solutions.

The third quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 concluded in September. Participants spent considerable time on preliminary scoping of the Release 18 (R18) feature content and schedule. Delegates also made good progress on the stage 3 (protocol) work for Release 17. The R18 schedule discussion ended with an initial agreement on an 18 month timeline that will result in a December 2023 completion target date. 

The tragedies of 9/11 underscored fundamental problems with communication systems used by our nation’s first responders. In the 20 years since 9/11, technology has changed rapidly. Fortunately, dedicated public safety broadband offered by FirstNet is providing fire departments with powerful new capabilities and modernizing their communications.