T-Mobile shoots back at AT&T after being accused of making false claims
T-Mobile announced a new service called T-Priority for first responders last month. Like AT&T's FirstNet solution, T-Priority has been built to provide uninterrupted signals to emergency workers during times when a network may become congested.
T-Mobile relies on 5G network slicing, which AT&T reportedly claims is an untested technology and not as reliable as its dedicated Band 14 spectrum.
The company says that its 5G network can be configured into multiple virtual networks or slices, with each slice tailored to the needs of different types of traffic. The 5G slicing tech has been tested during various high-profile events, including 2023's Red Bull’s Cliff Diving, 2024's Las Vegas Grand Prix, and 2024's PGA Championship.
During these events, T-Mobile was able to serve both attendees and organisers, with network slicing keeping interruptions at bay.
The company also introduced a network management platform with a security slice in 2022 which has thousands of users today.
T-Mobile believes that AT&T's FirstNet was the right solution for the 4G era, but it's in the multi-year process of being upgraded to 5G SA. Meanwhile, T-Mobile has already built the technology, which indicates it has an edge.
AT&T suggested that at the moment, having a dedicated spectrum is better than networking slicing for serving emergency workers. When we asked T-Mobile for the its thoughts on the statement, the company said that there is no need to have a separate network when you can provide better resources such as faster speeds on a 5G network.
Having been the first to enter the public safety space and boasting a customer base of millions, AT&Tt does have a competitive edge over T-Mobile right now, but since the latter has theoretically built its service around more modern technology, it may prove to be a more reliable option in times of crisis.
T-Mobile fires back
The company says that its 5G network can be configured into multiple virtual networks or slices, with each slice tailored to the needs of different types of traffic. The 5G slicing tech has been tested during various high-profile events, including 2023's Red Bull’s Cliff Diving, 2024's Las Vegas Grand Prix, and 2024's PGA Championship.
The company also introduced a network management platform with a security slice in 2022 which has thousands of users today.
T-Mobile believes that AT&T's FirstNet was the right solution for the 4G era, but it's in the multi-year process of being upgraded to 5G SA. Meanwhile, T-Mobile has already built the technology, which indicates it has an edge.
When we asked T-Mobile what it had to say regarding AT&T's claim that FirstNet was the first network built from the ground up to serve emergency responders, whereas T-Priority is a commercial offering, the company implied that first responders who have used both services revealed that FirstNet does experience congestion, contrary to AT&T's claims. T-Mobile used this feedback on its rival's network to tackle commonly experienced problems.
When first responders switch to T-Mobile, they tell us that they thought the other guy’s “dedicated network” wouldn’t congest but it did, when it mattered most. Drawing from this and other insights, T-Mobile engineered T-Priority to tackle industry challenges such as congestion, insufficient data speeds for data intensive, modern communications, and coverage gaps.
T-Mobile representative, October 2024
Priority access and preemption, even on dedicated spectrum, help first responders connect to the network. But the dedicated network slice from T-Priority is what gives them the resources they need once they're on the network. It ensures first responders have faster speeds, higher capacity on voice and data more consistently. Why use a whole separate network when you can have the highest priority on the largest and fastest 5G network?
T-Mobile representative, October 2024
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