Chester County (Pennsylvania) Department of Emergency Services (DES) Director Bobby Kagel announced that Chester is the first county in the commonwealth to subscribe to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) service. Kagel briefed county commissioners on the new broadband data service for first responders.

AT&T plans to have two carrier-integrated mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) options for First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) subscribers and plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) later this year, said an AT&T executive.

A second round of State Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0 grants is likely in the fall, a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) official said.

AT&T signed a new task order with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) for building out 700 MHz band 14 in all 56 states and territories. AT&T executives said the carrier has already begun buildout in most states, but the new task order formalizes the next step in AT&T’s year-old agreement with FirstNet to build a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).

Push-to-talk (PTT) and, eventually, mission-critical PTT (MCPTT) services are foundational applications that will determine how the NPSBN is adopted and the impact on interoperability. The successful integration of PTT/MCPTT with disparate LMR and LTE networks is the biggest challenge to interoperability.

Numerous manufacturers used the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) in Orlando, Florida, this week to introduce new products to the market.

The parties involved in a privacy lawsuit over the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) have disagreed over a potential filing in the case. In the filing, the federal government argued that while AT&T is offering services under the FirstNet brand, the network is not yet operational, so it is not yet ripe for review.

Sonim Technologies announced two new rugged mobile devices — the XP8 and XP5s — to operate on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) public-safety network. They will be commercially available later this month.

ESChat’s secure push-to-talk (PTT) application achieved the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) highest level of validation, “FirstNet certified.”

The first award recipients of the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0 will receive as much as $43.4 million to help prepare for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) buildout of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).