Picking Winner to Build FirstNet May Take Longer Than Expected, Public Safety Consultant Says
FirstNet may not meet its self-imposed deadline of early November to pick a team of companies to build a national network (see 1606300064), said public safety consultant Andrew Seybold Friday in an email. FirstNet has said its goal is to…
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announce in early November, but several times, members of the FirstNet C-level (executive level) said there may be circumstances that might delay the announcement, Seybold wrote: “Further, it is not clear, at least to me, that when FirstNet does announce the chosen Partner all of the t’s will have been crossed and i’s dotted. This is a complex system, and while the network will be built out on greenfield spectrum (band 14), chances are pretty good that the Partner will either be or have a nationwide operator and a number of rural broadband operators lined up as its partners.” Parts of FirstNet will operate on existing networks, he said. FirstNet also must address many complexities, Seybold said. “Many of these could directly impact the time it takes the FirstNet Partner to complete the basic network. Plans change as computer-generated coverage maps are sent to the field. A site may be deemed not acceptable, antenna placement less than ideal, or a tower already exceeds its rated wind loading. When this happens, FirstNet and the Partner will have to work out how to resolve the issues, how to keep the momentum going, and how to keep the project on track both from the Partner’s and Public Safety community’s perspective.”