Menu

SMART TRANSPORT FEATURE NEWS

FirstNet Platform Offers First Responder Public Safety Agencies Free Smartphones, New Features

By Ken Briodagh March 31, 2020

The US, and the rest of the world, continue to combat the spread of COVID-19(coronavirus), and the FirstNet communications platform, an IoT-ready national public-private partnership between the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and AT&T, is bringing advanced capabilities to first responders across the country.

According to a recent announcement, first responder public safety agencies on FirstNet can get premium FirstNet Ready smartphone devices for free for their agency-paid users. In addition to public safety agencies having free smartphones for life, the partners said that first responders now have available access to the interactive COVID-19 dashboard created by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Agencies can view confirmed cases in relation to their jurisdiction and couple this insight with the FirstNet Esri-embedded network status map.

“First responders deserve a dedicated communications partner that can provide the tools they need, when they need them, and that’s exactly what they’re getting with FirstNet,” said Jason Porter, SVP, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “We are here working side-by-side with public safety and together we’ve made FirstNet nimble, adaptable and ready to scale for even the most severe situations as we’re seeing currently with COVID-19. Now, agencies spanning law enforcement, fire, EMS, healthcare, hospital emergency departments, emergency management and 911 operations can stay up-to-date with smartphones for life at no additional cost and know their responders’ devices are up to the task when the next emergency strikes.”


Ken Briodagh is a storyteller, writer and editor with about two decades of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.

Edited by Ken Briodagh
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Editorial Director

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Zipline Announces 'Zip' Drones for Precise, Autonomous Deliveries

By: Alex Passett    3/31/2023

Zipline's "Zip" delivery drones are next-gen, virtually silent machines that are expected to deliver up to seven times faster than traditional automob…

Read More

Modeshift Partners with LTCA for Smart Ticketing

By: Stefania Viscusi    11/17/2022

Modeshift's smart transit solution has been adopted by Luzerne County Transportation Authority (LCTA) in the Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Read More

Video-Based Safety and AI Technology Can Reduce Truck Accidents

By: Tracey E. Schelmetic    11/15/2022

IoT solutions with video-based safety and AI technology can help reduce the likelihood of accidents by identifying distracted and aggressive driving.

Read More

Upward Mobility: Urban Movement Labs Joins Smart City Venture Studios as New Agency Partner

By: Matthew Vulpis    2/24/2022

The technology developed to create "smart cities" can make communities more effective and efficient in the use of resources, a necessity given the pro…

Read More

Up, Up, and Away - With Your IoT Data?

By: Special Guest    2/4/2021

Times have changed in the amazing world of the Internet of things (IoT). What once was a new and compelling idea has quickly worked its way into the h…

Read More