Using RTO Wireless Technology, AT&T Launches Critical Expansion of FirstNet Network
“FirstNet One,” built on the RTO Wireless AeroSite™ platform, provides first responders with vital public safety communication coverage during emergencies.
Framingham, MA — December 13, 2019 — RTO Wireless is proud to partner with AT&T by delivering mobile AeroSites™ and Services in support of the FirstNet network and first responder community within the United States. This collaboration will ensure that emergency workers around the country have access to the AT&T FirstNet network and demonstrates RTO’s ongoing commitment to connecting the unconnected, wherever they may be.
The FirstNet network is a public-safety communications platform built and operated by AT&T that gives first responders critical access to universal emergency response communications. In their dedication to supporting public safety, AT&T is constantly looking for more ways to improve the resiliency and responsiveness of this network and increase its capabilities — an effort that has brought over one million FirstNet connections in service.
As they continue to help the nation’s first responders stay prepared, AT&T’s recent partnership with RTO Wireless will bring mobile AeroSite™ solutions to the FirstNet network. Dubbed the “FirstNet One” by AT&T, this 500-cubic-meter tethered aerostat can provide well over twice the coverage area as any other deployable solution currently available, remain aloft for more than two weeks without additional helium, and stay fully operational in winds beyond 50 MPH. These features help make the FirstNet network significantly more robust and ensure emergency workers will have the support they need.
“We are thrilled to contribute to one of the most important communications platforms in the nation,” says Steve Hubbard, CEO and co-founder of RTO Wireless. “Our mission is to build innovative connectivity solutions that can serve everyone, be it rural communities or responders in an emergency. We couldn’t be happier that AT&T is using our AeroSite™ platform to fulfill that goal.”
“We have developed this specific line of Mobile AeroSite™ systems for emergency restoration, leveraging much of what we are building for semi-permanent rural market coverage,” says Rob Reagan, CTSO and co-founder. “We were inspired by the aerostat technology the military has long deployed in service of various applications. However, RTO’s LTA:RAN (Lighter- Than-Air:Radio-Access-Network) platform is much more cost effective and built for commercial use. It represents a creative approach to the challenges associated with the pervasive “connectivity-on-demand” challenges that exist worldwide.”
The initial deployment of the system by AT&T on the FirstNet network saw the RTO team launching the AeroSite™ system in Tuskegee, Ala., at Sharpe Field, a historically significant site the Tuskegee Airmen used for advanced flight training during World War II. This testing confirmed the viability of the mobile AeroSite™ system for the FirstNet network, including its coverage area, airworthiness, speed of deployment, and portability, among many other critical factors.
About RTO Wireless, LLC
RTO Wireless was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Framingham, MA. RTO provides network augmentation and expansion solutions optimized for temporary (mobile) or fixed (long-term) applications in rural and developing communities. Offering mobile voice/data; broadband; backhaul; and pervasive IoT connectivity, services are offered in a neutral host model. RTO is a Microsoft Airband partner deploying broadband services to unserved markets in rural America, and is led by executives with decades of experience in the telecommunications industry. Visit www.rtowireless.com to learn more.