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AT&T says all US states will use its public safety network

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LOS ANGELES: AT&T Inc said on Friday that all 50 US states had decided to participate in the nationwide broadband network it is building for first responders as part of a $6.5 billion government contract. In March, the US government awarded a contract to AT&T to build the network, years after a federal commission recommended setting up such a system following the 9/11 attacks. The No 2 US wireless carrier will receive 20 megahertz of wireless airwaves and success-based payments of $6.5 billion over the next five years as part of the project known as FirstNet.


AT&T expects to spend about $40 billion over 25 years to build and maintain the network. States had until Thursday to opt out of AT&T’s network and build their own public safety networks. In addition to the states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also opted for FirstNet, AT&T said. Decisions from the three Pacific territories of American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands are not due until March 12, 2018.


Wall Street analysts have said FirstNet is a way for AT&T to add to its portfolio of wireless airwaves, or spectrum, at a time when consumers are using more data on their cell phones.— Reuters


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