Metro Lex News

At and T issued the following announcement on Feb. 14

Today, Gov. Chris Sununu and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) joined AT&T* to celebrate a major boost in wireless communications for New Hampshire first responders – the addition of new, purpose-built cell sites and 100+ other network enhancements. This new infrastructure is a part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place across the state, bringing increased coverage, capacity and capabilities for public safety. Plus, it’s giving first responders unthrottled access to the fastest overall network experience.1

“FirstNet will transform wireless connectivity and strengthen public safety across the state,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “My office and state officials worked diligently to ensure that first responders are delivered a network and communications capabilities that are state of the art, highly secure, and second to none. They deserve nothing less. I’m certain that New Hampshire has the best FirstNet plan of any state in the nation, and we appreciate our partnership with AT&T to bring much-needed connectivity to areas that have struggled with wireless services for years."

FirstNet is the nationwide, wireless communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders and the public safety community. It’s built with AT&T* in a public-private partnership with the FirstNet Authority – an independent agency within the federal government.

To ensure AT&T and the FirstNet Authority are putting coverage and capacity where it’s needed most, the FirstNet build is being done with direct feedback from state and public safety officials. Currently ahead of schedule, the FirstNet build has already brought New Hampshire first responders:

• Purpose-built network enhancements: 4 new cell sites – located in Pembroke, Stoddard, Rumney and North Hampton – have launched. These sites were constructed using Band 14 spectrum, as well as AT&T commercial spectrum. Band 14 is nationwide, high quality spectrum set aside by the government specifically for FirstNet. AT&T also deployed Band 14 in more than 100 towns across New Hampshire including Keene, Littleton, Manchester and Portsmouth.
• Unparalleled emergency support: New Hampshire agencies on FirstNet also have 24/7 access to a nationwide fleet of 76 deployable network assets. These portable cell sites can either be deployed for planned events or in emergencies at no additional charge.
• Public safety-specific advanced capabilities: FirstNet is the only nationwide platform that gives first responders always-on, 24-hours-a-day priority and preemption across voice and data. This is like giving public safety communications the “lights and sirens” treatment so that they stay connected, no matter the emergency.
• Statewide network support: Using all AT&T LTE bands, FirstNet already covers over 99% of the U.S. population today. In addition to the FirstNet build, AT&T also launched 6 other new cell sites across the state this past year. All new sites and other network enhancements – as well as our preexisting cell sites – are further elevating coverage and communications for public safety and the communities they serve.

We know how important it is for communities to stay connected. That’s why all new infrastructure is boosting network reliability and capacity. This helps New Hampshire residents, visitors and businesses get the best possible experience over the AT&T network wherever they live, work and play.

From 2016 to 2018, we invested more than $80 million in our New Hampshire wireless and wired networks. These investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for first responders, residents and their businesses.

Owen Smith, President AT&T New Hampshire, said: “New Hampshire’s first responders deserve reliable coverage across the state to help them effectively and efficiently address incidents. And with FirstNet, that’s exactly what they’re getting. We couldn’t be more pleased to support the public safety mission and bring the state’s first responders – and residents – greater access to the connectivity they need.”

Also speaking at today’s event were Robert Quinn, New Hampshire Commissioner of Safety; and John Stevens, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator.

Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn said: “New Hampshire deserves to have a public safety community with the best available communications. The New Hampshire Department of Safety enthusiastically supports FirstNet and the commitments AT&T has made throughout the state. We are confident that the FirstNet Authority and AT&T are greatly advancing public safety communications now and will continue to do so in the future.”

Statewide Interoperability Coordinator John T. Stevens said: “The mission of the Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee is to provide New Hampshire public safety workers with the best available communications technologies,” “Through collaboration with the FirstNet Authority and AT&T, New Hampshire is postured to bring next generation communications technology to first responders throughout the state.”

In the Fall of 2018, the Derry Police Department became the first public safety agency in the state to join FirstNet. Chief Edward Garone of the Derry Police Department spoke today about the positive impact FirstNet has had on his department.

“The Derry Police Department saw beneficial use from FirstNet from day one,” said Derry Police Chief Edward Garone. “We had been experiencing intermittent and dropped coverage/ connectivity for all of our mobile computers prior to becoming FirstNet users, especially during the late afternoon and evening commute hours. Since Derry hosts the largest high school in the State, with over 3,400 students and another 400 staff, we experienced significant network slowdowns or loss of coverage completely from the time school let out in the afternoon until the evening commute time ended due to network overload issues. We simply could not get reliable connectivity for our broadband devices. That problem was solved the very first day we became FirstNet subscribers. With FirstNet, we now enjoy reliable and consistent connectivity 100% of the time without interruption. Officers get the information they need to do their jobs safely in every instance.”

“FirstNet is a dedicated broadband platform for public safety, by public safety,” said FirstNet Authority Executive Director Edward Parkinson. “We worked hand-in-hand with New Hampshire’s public safety community to understand their needs for the network. And these cell sites are a prime example of how that input and feedback is becoming reality. We look forward to supporting New Hampshire’s first responders’ use of FirstNet to help them save lives and protect communities.”

For more about the value FirstNet is bringing to public safety, check out FirstNet.com.

1Based on AT&T analysis of Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® data average download speeds for all quarters of 2019. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.

Original source can be found here.