AT&T provides sub-6GHz 5G emergency safety access in 10 cities

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AT&T said Monday that first responders who have signed up for FirstNet can now use its low-band 5G in 10 cities.

In 10 places, FirstNet users can use the carrier's sub-6GHz 5G spectrum, including Austin, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, El Paso, Texas, Houston, Knoxville, Phoenix, Raleigh, and San Antonio.

AT&T tested 5G for FirstNet users in Houston back in April. Earlier this year, the company opened its 5G network using millimeter wave spectrum (branded 5G+) to first responders via FirstNet in parts of 38 cities and 20 venues. AT&T expects to add two more cities and 20 more venues (for a total of 40) by the end of 2021.

On the commercial side, AT&T's sub-GHz version of 5G uses dynamic spectrum sharing to allocate and share spectrum resources between 4G and 5G users, covering 250 million people in nearly 500 markets in the United States.

According to the carrier, its approach to 5G for first responders is different than for regular consumers because public safety users have priority and preemption over LTE voice communications. For data traffic, a dedicated public safety network, part of AT&T's public-private partnership with the FirstNet Authority, will determine the best path to use, whether 5G or 4G/LTE spectrum.

FirstNet has 20MHz of dedicated spectrum in Band 14, but users can also use AT&T's commercial LTE bands. The carrier won't charge extra for 5G on FirstNet, but first responders will need a 5G device that can access FirstNet.

AT&T has previously said it will support FirstNet's transition to 5G, including upgrading to a 5G core network.

AT&T has made a big push into the public safety and first responder communities after winning the contract to build FirstNet — bringing growing competition to the space, especially for historically powerful Verizon. T-Mobile US has also made its own moves to try to gain a foothold in the public safety space.

AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh said during the company's second-quarter earnings call in July that more than 17,000 public safety agencies have signed up for FirstNet, with more than 2.5 million connections. That's up from about 16,000 agencies and 2.2 million connections at the end of the first quarter.

He noted that the data highlights AT&T's competitiveness in the field.

“We are growing market share in the competitive wireless business, and FirstNet has been a key enabler in our efforts to gain share and potentially displace other operators that have long held a strong position in this area of ​​public safety and community services,” McElfresh said. “The program continues to perform strongly, and we don’t see any signs of slowing down.”