In an effort to develop public safety technology that leverages 5G technology, Verizon and Responder Corp. have created the 5G First Responder Lab.
The 5G First Responder Lab is housed at Verizon’s 5G Lab at Alley, a membership forum for entrepreneurs and innovators located in Washington, DC. It will support 15 innovators in three groups. Three groups of five companies will have access to the organization’s resources for a three-month period.
This will include use of the lab and 5G network as well as Verizon and Responder Corp.’s expertise in use case testing, insight creation and go-to-market strategies. Applications are being accepted by 5G First Responder Lab until the end of the year.
“First responders should have the absolute best, most effective technologies available to them as they protect our communities and respond to emergencies large and small,” Toby Redshaw, Verizon’s Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Product Development, said in a press release. “Our 5G First Responder Lab will give technology innovators the opportunity to develop applications and use cases that leverage the unique capabilities of 5G and to bring those solutions to market more quickly.”
AT&T has garnered most of the headlines for public safety networking with its ongoing FirstNet initiative. Verizon is in the public safety game as well, however. Last month, it announced its support for the Axon Body 3 camera for first responders. The camera can make dangerous situations safer for both victims and first responders, Verizon said.