The FirstNet network for first responders has reached a connection base of more than 7 million, according to AT&T. The carrier also says that it has the largest network footprint in the country, with FirstNet now covering nearly 3 million square miles of the United States’ total 3.8 million square miles.
AT&T said that FirstNet has added 20,000 square miles of terrestrial wireless coverage in the past year. The network operator is also working with AST SpaceMobile on cellular Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) coverage, and AT&T said that it is “making significant advancements” with AST on features for first responders.
“We have already successfully tested mission-critical capabilities such as push-to-talk services, because even in hard-to-reach areas, public safety needs more than simple text messaging,” the carrier said in a release.
AT&T also emphasized its high-powered user equipment (HPUE) solutions that enable FirstNet to offer better indoor coverage, and the in-building signal boosters that the FirstNet Authority is funding as part of its reinvestments into the FirstNet network. AT&T said that there are now more than 11,000 of the boosters in public safety buildings around the U.S.
The announcement from AT&T of expanded FirstNet coverage and connections comes as efforts are ramping up to get Congress to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority’s statutory authority to operate, which expires in early 2027. Public safety organizations are already urging Congress to move forward with reauthorization of the agency—probably not too soon, given that Congress allowed the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction authority to lapse. (AT&T’s contract to provide the FirstNet network, meanwhile, does not expire until 2042.)
“The reauthorization of FirstNet is critical to ensuring that our first responders continue to have access to this essential communication tool,” the National Council of State Legislatures said in a recent letter to Congress. “We urge Congress to act swiftly to remove the sunset date for the FirstNet Authority, thereby guaranteeing the continuation of this system for years to come.”
There are also ongoing spectrum issues related to FirstNet, with FirstNet/AT&T set to gain access to the 4.9 GHz airwaves in addition to FirstNet’s existing Band 14/700 MHz spectrum. While the FCC granted FirstNet access to the 4.9 GHz spectrum in late 2024, the issue is being litigated.
