FirstNet Enters a New Phase

The country’s first nationwide wireless broadband network designed for emergency responders, being developed by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), entered a new phase on July 10 -- it announced 10 requests for information (RFIs) that will begin the process of finding the most efficient and innovative technology available, said Craig Farrill, FirstNet board member and acting CIO. The search for the best technology available, Farrill said, follows a nationwide survey of the nation’s 56 states and territories to determine what would constitute the “best” technology for the network -- technology such as network partnering and Radio Access Network provisioning, antenna systems, microwave backhaul equipment, data centers and network service platforms.