Almost Reality

July 19, 2017
FirstNet selected AT&T to build the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, but some agencies are concerned about coverage, cost and compatibility. Here’s what you need to know about the first responder’s network.

First responders have been dreaming about their promised network for years. Then in March, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) selected AT&T to build the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) and that dream is finally becoming a reality. This public-private partnership came after a rigorous bidding process that actually left AT&T the only bidder still standing. With this award, the company earned the rights to the prime broadband spectrum belonging to FirstNet and the huge responsibility of developing and running a cutting-edge network based on first responder needs.

In the 25-year agreement between FirstNet and AT&T, FirstNet will provide 20 MHz of spectrum and success-based payments of $6.5 billion over the next five years to help with building out the network. AT&T will spend $40 billion over the life of the contract to build, deploy, operate and maintain the network focusing on public safety needs. AT&T has promised users access to their current network with priority and preemption from the day they opt-in. “What AT&T proposed pretty well blew the lid off most of the other bidders and what they were offering,” says Mike Bostic, senior law enforcement advisor, FirstNet and former LAPD Chief of Police. AT&T states they met all three RFP components: significant financial resources, an already existing network and an understanding of public safety and what their needs are. Many on the AT&T team and those they are hiring have some connection with public safety. “That’s important,” Chris Sambar, senior vice president, AT&T-FirstNet says. “This is not just telecomm for us. This is a passion. We’re doing something special for public safety.”

Now that AT&T holds the contract, they face stiff penalties if they don’t provide what they have promised. “FirstNet did a good job in their RFP in specifying what we had to deliver,” states Sambar. “They actually specify the number of first responders by year that we have to have signed up. We have adoption commitments. It’s billions of dollars of penalties that accrue. That was the first hook. ‘AT&T, you can’t just take the money and run. You can’t just take the spectrum and run. You have to meet these adoption commitments and to do that we have to build something really good’.” The penalties are not the factor at the forefront as AT&T moves forward. “A company’s brand is the most important thing they have,” Sambar explains. “We have now put our brand next to public safety. We don’t intend to fail. It’s not an option for us.”

Choosing a partner was not the last major decision in the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) dialogue. The most important decisions will be made in the coming months and although a lot of the specific information needed to make these decisions has just been unveiled, every agency needs to be thinking about their options.

Opting-in and important elements

A lot of confusion exists around each state’s choice with FirstNet. Legislation left participation up to each individual state. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Band Class 14 is the spectrum NPSBN will exist on. FirstNet describes four distinct layers: Core Network, Transport Backhaul, Radio Access Network (RAN) and Public Safety Devices.

  • The core network interfaces with state, local and federal networks, including 911 and internet.
  • Transport Backhaul are the links that carry the information (voice, data, video and signaling) from the radio base stations to the core network.
  • RAN is the radio base station infrastructure (cell towers and hot spots) connected to Public Safety Devices (the things we use).

If a state chooses to opt-in, they agree to the FirstNet/AT&T proposal. They are opting-in to their core network and RAN.

States will have 45 days to review the plans and submit their comments to FirstNet. After this individual dialogue, around Fall 2017, each state’s governor must choose to opt-in or they will have 180 days to present an Alternative Plan (opt-out). Even if a state chooses to opt-out, they will still need to pay to participate in the FirstNet core network, although they can utilize an alternative RAN designer.

An opt-in decision means using AT&T’s infrastructure as the base. Band 14 will be added as a SIM card. They will also have access to all of AT&T’s network. “Everything that FirstNet promised to build, they are going to have it the first day the network is turned on in their state,” says Bostic. “That’s just amazing. They’re going to build out a lot of areas for us over the next five years that don’t have cellular broadband capability yet. But in the meantime, they have over 100 megabytes of spectrum in addition to the 20 we’re giving them. It’s like massive amounts of spectrum that AT&T owns and they are going to give us access to that on day one, nationwide, with priority preemption.” AT&T confirmed they plan on having priority and preemption available for public safety on all of their bands by the end of 2017.

Opting-out

What a few states have already done is start looking at Alternative Plans. Five states have published RFPs and many others are weighing their options. New Hampshire in particular created a stir when they signed a no-cost agreement with Rivada Networks to design their Alternative Plan. “What New Hampshire has done here is basically its due diligence,” says John Stevens, statewide interoperability coordinator (SWIC) and single point of contact (SPOC), New Hampshire Department of Safety. “Following the law, if a state enters into a public-private partnership it can pursue the option of developing its own RAN. We took on that responsibility. We knew that the timelines that were being offered by FirstNet were going to be very difficult to match.” In fact, from the process of writing the RFP in July 2015 to the governor and council awarding the contract to Rivada, it took 16 months.

Brian Carney, senior vice president for corporate communications, Rivada Networks says the main motivator for states seeking alternatives is the desire to make an informed choice. “Agencies need to think about the cost of subscribing,” Carney says. “They need to think about the degree of control that they have over the network—who is on it, who is using it, who has priority at a moment in time. Those are the two biggest issues and the two biggest unknowns at this point when evaluating what FirstNet is offering public safety.” Stevens feels New Hampshire is in a great position because they are ready with researched information to compare to the State Plans. “The governor and the council can make a decision as to what’s best for New Hampshire,” he says. “If in fact, we didn’t do that, I think, we’d be remiss in our responsibilities.”

Coverage and cost

Agencies still have many concerns about whether the NPSBN will actually meet their needs. One of the largest concerns is if rural areas will get the infrastructure they need to be covered.

Mammoth Lakes (CA) Police Chief Al Davis shares that concern. “FirstNet would be great but the challenges within this type of environment would be extreme,” he says of his location in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. “That’s what we’re having to deal with. The rugged terrain and then, of course, the extreme weather we get. The town itself is about 8,000 feet (above sea level) and then the mountain above us; the ski resort is 11,400 feet at the top. The terrain is absolutely the worst part of it because it creates the fact that we need so much more radio infrastructure throughout the county.” Davis wonders if FirstNet and AT&T can offer solutions.

“Coverage is always going to be the issue,” explains Bostic. “AT&T has a proposal for those areas. We’ve been working with the states for about four years getting their input on what areas that they wanted coverage, so I’d be shocked if what each state wants covered isn’t covered.” The biggest issue will be state and federal lands that are protected. “No one can solve those problems except with portable capability and AT&T has offered up a lot of these solutions to come out in the State Plans.”

Along with coverage, cost is a major concern. “Everybody is worried about coverage and cost,” says Bostic. “Cost is going to be incredibly competitive. It’s going to be far more competitive than what they’re getting in the commercial market.” Stevens states it’s FirstNet and AT&T’s responsibility to present a desirable opportunity with competitive cost. If they don’t, it will become an issue. Currently, Verizon holds about 70 percent of the law enforcement market for wireless and Carney expects they will compete to keep that business. “I don’t expect them to just lie down and hand over that business to AT&T,” he says.

What about compatibility?

Often public safety faces roll outs that require costly new equipment. Because Land Mobile Radios (LMR) work on a different spectrum, first responders wonder what NPSBN means for interoperability, daily use and equipment in the future. “There is significant talk about eventually, maybe not in the too distant future, that LTE will have Voice over IP application to Mission Critical Voice,” Stevens explains. “But that’s yet to be determined.” Rivada and AT&T both have considered compatibility. “LMR and LTE connectivity is part of our planning,” Carney says. “Genuine interoperability has got to include the ability to communicate with (all radios and equipment).”

Sambar believes that one of the next things to happen will be the development of applications that bridge LMR and LTE. Bostic wants first responders to be thinking about this possibility now. “It’s time to start thinking about it because you can now have whatever you want not just whatever the industry is willing to give you…creating apps is not that difficult as compared to building systems. It’s a pretty exciting time because the younger generation actually knows what’s possible on a broadband network. They do it every day. My generation, who are still the leaders in law enforcement, don’t quite get it yet. They just want to have that push-to-talk radio.”

Bostic describes the network as a pipeline that will drive innovation. “By the end of the year, we will finally have our own ecosystem within the FirstNet network. We decide our own future.” Bostic used the example of having both an Android and an iPhone. They are both on the same network, but applications available on one are not available on the other. “That’s because Apple and Android determine the future of what I can have on my cellphone,” he says. But on FirstNet that won’t be the case. “FirstNet and public safety will decide what applications go on our network.” He mentioned going to the IWCE Conference and seeing several hundred vendors and booths with all kinds of public safety solutions. “I’ll be a betting man,” he explains. “I think most of those booths are just going to be an application on the network in about five years. It will start very, very quickly. Most of those companies are already thinking about it. So, all the things we currently do now, where we build all these standalone systems all over public safety, those days are over as soon as people figure out what is possible in this network.”

What to expect with the State Plans

The State Plans are now out. “We’ve worked really, really hard for the last four years consulting with states,” Bostic says. “None of this is going to be any surprise.” Sambar explains the State Plans are comprehensive, detailing all the features, products, and deployables that were part of AT&T’s proposal. “At this point, we start to go into the consultation process,” he says. “How does this look? Is there something you’re looking for? There have been a lot of discussions between FirstNet and the states. There’s been a lot of misinformation out there, too. We will clear that up.” Everyone agrees that the decision to opt-in or opt-out of FirstNet’s State Plan is an important decision. “It’s going to be an incredible pipe, incredible capability, incredible resource for data, but ultimately it’s going to shift the way we do business 180 degrees from what we do now,” says Bostic. He encourages everyone in public safety to take an interest in the decision and reach out to the State SPOC or FirstNet.

“Now is the time to engage,” he states. “Don’t delegate to your staff or people below you. This is a really significant milestone. This is public safety’s network given by Congress to public safety and public safety has to take control of their own destiny and not to leave it up to the state or the federal government. This is our opportunity as the leaders of public safety to step up and say this is what we want and make it happen. This is for real. Time for everybody to really get engaged at the senior leadership level to make a decision. This is not some minor project. It’s a 25-year future of public safety communications.” After sixteen years, the first responder’s network is finally coming. We’re ready.

Editor's Note: On July 19, FirstNet announced that ArkansasIowaKentuckyVirginia and Wyoming became the first 5 states to join the FirstNet network. For more information, read the full press release here.

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