FirstNet, Built with AT&T announces membership of TCCA

FirstNet, Built with AT&T has announced its membership of The Critical Communications Forum (TCCA), the global member-led organisation working for the advancement of critical communications. As a member of TCCA, FirstNet will be able to share its expertise on public–private partnerships for mission-critical communications networks and help guide the industry to create more innovative solutions that will help keep communities and first responders safer around the globe.

Shaped by the vision of the US Congress and the first responder community following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, FirstNet is built with AT&T in public–private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) — an independent agency within the federal government. As the only network built with and for America’s first responders and the public safety community, FirstNet provides first responders with benefits such as always-on priority and pre-emption, as well as high-quality Band 14 spectrum to give them a dedicated lane of connectivity when they need it. Today, the FirstNet network is delivering its dedicated Band 14 spectrum and its physically separate and dedicated core to over five million connections, covering more than 25,000 public safety agencies.

“As public safety’s partner, we intimately understand the importance of communications in a crisis,” said Ryan Burchnell, AT&T’s Director of FirstNet Strategy & Development. “By working alongside TCCA and its members, we can further open up conversations with government agencies, device manufacturers, application providers and other mobility operators around the world to collaborate on mission-critical solutions.”

Within its Working Groups and interoperability and certification programs, and via its flagship Critical Communications World event, TCCA along with its members and partners sets the agenda for the global development of critical communications. Prior to FirstNet, the most recent organisation to join TCCA was Druid Software, whose innovative Raemis platform supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G as well as integration with Wi-Fi.

“The strategy of many governments to deliver mission-critical broadband to their essential agencies is through partnering with existing wireless telco networks,” said TCCA CEO Kevin Graham. “We are very pleased to welcome FirstNet, Built with AT&T to our global membership, given the highly successful partnering they have established with the FirstNet Authority to build their FirstNet capability across the US.

“We look forward to the valuable information sharing they can contribute to peers and end users across our global community, allowing our members around the world to leverage their success.”

Image courtesy of FirstNet, Built with AT&T.