AT&T says it has doubled the number of areas where FirstNet users can access 5G, from 10 to 20.
The carrier said that 5G connectivity on FirstNet has launched in Savannah, Georgia; in Western Kansas; Lansing, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Toledo, Ohio; Charleston and Hilton Head in South Carolina; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Richmond, Virginia; and Redmond, Washington.
AT&T noted that its FirstNet public safety users also have access to its millimeter-wave 5G deployments in parts of more than 40 cities and in 35 stadiums and large venues.
In an update on its FirstNet coverage and operations, AT&T said it has surpassed 95% of the Band 14 cover requirements under its contract with the FirstNet Authority and reached “several hundred thousand additional square miles that exceed our contractual target commitment.” The company said that it has both upgraded tens of thousands of its existing cell sites to support Band 14 700 MHz spectrum and added nearly 1,000 new sites in rural, remote and tribal areas around the United States and its territories.
AT&T also emphasized that it is working on expanding coverage based on feedback from public safety agencies, giving the example that stakeholder collaborations have meant that it nearly quadrupled its coverage in Nebraska since launching FirstNet, as well as deploying Band 14 across 90 cell sites on the Navajo Nation’s lands.
In a statement, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez described the increased coverage as “part of a larger collaborative effort.
“Ninety FirstNet towers sites have launched on the Navajo Nation so far, and we’re continuing to work together with the FirstNet Authority and AT&T to get additional sites launched,” Nez continued, saying that “The FirstNet buildout represents a historic investment in broadband. infrastructure for the Navajo Nation. Our first responders have used FirstNet mobile technology during wildfires, large public events and for COVID-19 mitigation efforts. We look forward to expanding our telecommunications capabilities further to provide more resources for our frontline warriors with the help of FirstNet. ”
AT&T is also now claiming that FirstNet “covers more first responders than any network in the country,” saying that coverage area is greater than 2.81 million square miles. The United States spans about 3.8 million square miles.
