Verizon to Compete With AT&T for Public-Safety Customers -- Update
August 15 2017 - 9:26PM
Dow Jones News
By Ryan Knutson
Verizon Communications Inc. said it is building dedicated lanes
at the core of its U.S. wireless network for firefighters and other
first responders, a bid to compete with AT&T Inc.'s plans for
its own public-safety network.
In March, AT&T won a $6.5 billion federal contract to build
FirstNet, which is intended to provide nationwide wireless data
coverage and priority access for first responders during
emergencies.
Verizon, the nation's largest carrier by subscribers, says it
controls about two-thirds of the market for police, fire and other
first responders, and in its announcement signaled that it plans to
hold on to them.
"We're serious about remaining extremely relevant in this
space," Michael Maiorana, a Verizon senior vice president who
oversees the effort, said Tuesday. The company declined to say how
much it would spend to make the upgrades.
Verizon said its public-safety lanes will operate separately
from those for commercial customers and that it would prioritize
public-safety traffic over commercial traffic during times of
network congestion. The priority-access feature, which is already
available to public-safety services, will be free of charge, the
carrier said. A similar feature called "preemption" will be
available later this year.
The idea for the network originated from the 9/11 Commission
Report, as many first responders that day lost access to
communication devices. Although AT&T received a swath of
valuable airwaves in addition to the government funds to develop
FirstNet, individual U.S. states are still debating whether to join
the project or build their own networks.
"FirstNet has consulted closely with public safety as a partner
to develop this network. Thanks to their input, we are now
delivering first responders a compelling network solution they've
never had before," a FirstNet spokesman said in an email Tuesday.
The network's services "are unmatched and unique to public
safety."
An AT&T spokesman said the company is building a "superior
network and ecosystem with specialized features" that would be
unlike anything the market has seen before.
At least a dozen states and territories have already agreed to
let AT&T build the network in their state, though the carrier
must still entice public-safety agencies to sign up for it. While
some of AT&T's network is already active, the carrier expects
the bulk of it to come online next year.
Verizon said its offer doesn't require states to opt out of
FirstNet, and the company doesn't expect to receive federal funds.
It said the dedicated lanes, known as a private network core, will
be ready in 2018.
Write to Ryan Knutson at ryan.knutson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 15, 2017 21:11 ET (01:11 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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