T-Mobile boosts its first-responder service, but why?

Even though AT&T is running the table on the first-responder market in the US because it won the contract to build the FirstNet network, that doesn’t mean that the other two big carriers don’t still desire to serve first responders. On August 1, T-Mobile announced that first responders who are signed up with its Connecting Heroes program can have their data prioritized in the event of emergencies, via its Wireless Priority Service (WPS), which is part of Connecting Heroes. T-Mobile says the new data priority service was developed in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. During times of emergency or network congestion, critical communication is prioritized across a first responder’s smartphone or other mobile device. During these times, T-Mobile commits available network resources to help maintain a minimum performance of 512 kbps. This means, if a first responder is in a situation where a natural disaster may impact service, T-Mobile will give network resources to them first. Similarly, if a first responder is using data in a low-coverage area, the network will automatically reallocate resources to help maintain that critical connection.