The U.S. Department of the Navy is assessing use of FirstNet, the dedicated mobile broadband public safety network being built by AT&T in cooperation with the federal government unit FirstNet. The assessment could lead to use of FirstNet across Navy and Marine Corps installations nationwide.
“We are honored to help the Department of the Navy transition to the FirstNet public safety communications platform,” Mike Leff, the vice president of Defense for AT&T Public Sector, said in a statement. “It’s a promising first step toward eventual procurement, deployment and management of FirstNet-based services.”
Navy FirstNet Plans
AT&T says that a policy directive from the Secretary of the Navy calls for the Commander of Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and the Commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Installations Command (COMMCICOM) to be responsible for the development of associated functional, technical and budgetary requirements, policies, procedures, and deployment strategies related to FirstNet integration and its implementation on Navy and Marine (USMC) installations nationwide.
The commanders “will identify appropriate Navy and USMC public safety first response entities eligible for FirstNet and assess the FirstNet communications platform for their future public safety communications needs,” according to AT&T.
FirstNet has made significant announcements during the past few months.
- Last October, the organization said public safety agencies subscribing to FirstNet had access to the full fleet of 72 dedicated deployable network assets. These assets, which are located throughout the country, can be used for planned events or in emergencies.
- Also in October, FirstNet said that more than 3,600 public safety agencies had signed on. That represented an increase of almost 50% in less than two months.
- In January, AT&T said that during 2018 the carrier increased LTE coverage for its network and the FirstNet initiative by more than 50,000 square miles and covered an additional 1 million people. The carrier said that build out of the FirstNet platform has three priorities: Connecting rural and remote responders, increasing capacity for urban responders and providing innovative solutions to public safety organizations throughout its footprint.
