FirstNet adds remote coverage but mobile satellite waits in the wings

The FirstNet Authority allocated $1.1 billion of its fiscal 2027 budget, which starts October 2026, for network improvements and approved 220 new cell sites in rural areas for AT&T to build based on public safety input. There are now 350 FirstNet sites in development. These will add to 1,000 sites completed in 2025. A few hundred looks like a drop in the ocean for a country with nearly half a million cell sites. But Matt Walsh, assistant VP for FirstNet and NG911 products at AT&T, said it is "a tremendous investment." The 350 sites, funded by the public-private partnership, are incremental to AT&T's commercial build, which also benefits FirstNet users. Likewise, FirstNet sites benefit AT&T's consumer and business customers when they are not prioritized for first responders.