Fire Technology: The FirstNet Innovation Lab & Test Site

Even before Morgan O’Brien’s keynote opening of the 2006 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) conference, I had the opportunity and honor (along with other public safety officials) to discuss the concept of a nationwide public safety wireless broadband network with Morgan. Looking back, it was much more of a daunting task than anyone ever imagined. Historically, this endeavor is one of the most impressive demonstrations of public safety unity and bipartisan support I have witnessed. Anything less would have never seen the light of day.

Once the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) became law in 2012, the challenges focused on how to build this nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety. The design of such a network and all the components is unique from present commercial wireless carriers, not to mention very complex. FirstNet must provide the reliability and resilience network grade similar to that of existing public safety land mobile radio systems at a price similar to existing subscriber plans, and work with all 56 states and territories. Unlike the commercial wireless networks, FirstNet must be hardened to withstand the anticipated environmental/weather conditions, have backup power, and have the broadband capacity to function at the moment an incident or major event occurs.

Today, that broadband capacity under existing commercial wireless carriers is often compromised because of the demand placed on the networks by the volume of subscriber use generated by the event.

Focus on research

In 2014, FirstNet’s new board chair Sue Swenson set FirstNet on the focused mission of building a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety by public safety. Repeatedly, Chair Swenson kept tight control on FirstNet’s mission and timelines, and when I asked her why she did what she did, she said, “It’s all about the mission!”

The FirstNet leadership extended to hiring the most talented people and partnering with the NIST Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Labs in Boulder. The PSCR Labs, led by Dereck Orr, has been at the heart of understanding and advancing the LTE broadband network by establishing LTE networks in the PSCR labs and testing with various broadband devices.

As part of the expanding plan to build and implement this exciting new nationwide broadband network for public safety, it was clear that there would need to be a way to develop and test new “FirstNet Ready” devices for public safety. In anticipation of the announcement of the award of the contract for a public-private partner, FirstNet announced the opening of its new FirstNet Innovation and Test Lab (FITL) on Nov. 9, 2016.

The FITL is located at FirstNet’s technical headquarters in Boulder, CO. This is the place where FirstNet and its new partner AT&T (announced on March 30, 2017) will test functionality and features that will be unique to FirstNet’s mission-critical public safety broadband network. This testing will include, but not be limited to, quality of service (QOS), preemption, public safety priority, cybersecurity and other mission-critical applications and services as they evolve. This testing will be a key element for members of public safety for their acceptance and deployment of these new devices into the public safety environment.

According to representatives at FirstNet, the FITL will serve as a premier telecommunications technology innovation center of excellence. The FITL is touted as a state-of-the-art facility built to meet the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards. The FITL will serve as a “living laboratory” with the necessary electrical power and network connectivity needed for AT&T to stage equipment and start test execution as soon as possible. The FITL is setup to include battery backup and generator power to ensure continuity of testing.

The FITL will be the center of validation and verification testing for the FirstNet Network, services and features, and serve to advance future research and development related to public safety broadband technologies. This testing is designed to significantly reduce the time to conduct initial field test and deploy public safety features of the FirstNet Network. The lab is ready for AT&T to install its equipment and begin the testing process. At this time, there has also been mention that a lot of the operational testing will be designed and performed by actual public safety practitioners. 

The FITL fact sheet indicates that it will provide/engage in the following six areas:

1. Technology validation: In the Lab’s plug-and-play environment, the FirstNet partnership will be able to see how emerging technologies, devices and apps behave in a public safety broadband environment, ensuring anything that runs on the FirstNet Network is truly “public-safety-grade” and ready for first responders’ use. The Lab will also be used to model and troubleshoot issues that may occur in the field.
2. Automated testing: Where most telecommunications labs manually patch in different cell sites or devices for testing, the FirstNet lab has a radio frequency switch matrix and programmable attenuators so test engineers can remotely set up and execute test cases—automation that enables them to work efficiently and test at scale.
3. Innovation: The FirstNet lab will be continuously engaged in setting up, configuring, testing and evaluating a variety of emerging network technology, devices and apps to find new solutions that help public safety protect and secure communities across the nation.
4. Speed to solutions: With a cooperative test environment in place, the FirstNet partnership will reduce the time it takes to test and deploy vital public safety features across the FirstNet Network, so innovative, effective communication tools are in the hands of first responders as soon as possible.
5. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing: In addition to the collaboration within the FirstNet partnership, the FirstNet lab will foster collaboration and share knowledge with the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Lab, also located in Boulder. Together, the two labs will build on each other’s expertise and capabilities to deliver better, more innovative results for the public safety community they serve.
6. Learning and training opportunities: The Lab will be the foundation for a future FirstNet Training/Experience Center for hands-on training, demonstration and user evaluation of future FirstNet Network technologies and applications.

FirstNet Chief Technology Officer Jeff Bratcher noted in a press release: “When first responders are racing to help in disasters and emergencies, they need communications tools that are tested and proven to work. This lab will help FirstNet and AT&T ensure that public safety features, devices and applications run properly on the Network and are ready for first responders to use.” FirstNet CEO Mike Poth added, “This will enable FirstNet to get advanced technology into the hands of our first responders and help them save lives and secure communities.”

In the beginning, the FITL will be largely focused on testing, validation and functionality. As the first generation of devices are released and when the timing is right, FirstNet authorities have indicated that the FITL will also serve as a future FirstNet Training/Experience Center for hands-on training, demonstration and user evaluation of future FirstNet Network technologies and applications.

Final thoughts

This is truly an impressive path forward for FirstNet and the public safety practitioners that it supports and will positively impact the future of public safety communications for generations to come. Public safety is watching anxiously and hopefully to see the partnership with FirstNet and AT&T fulfill the promise of FirstNet through the successful deployment of a public safety mission-critical nationwide broadband network and achieve data interoperability across all disciplines of public safety at the tribal, local, state and national levels.

Sidebar: About FirstNet

FirstNet’s mission is to deliver a nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety to help strengthen their emergency communications abilities, making them safer and more effective on the job. A new, innovative public-private partnership will be established to deploy the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. The FirstNet Network will provide law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency service personnel a reliable, redundant, resilient and secure connection to carry high-speed data, location information, images and video. When seconds count, this real-time information can mean all the difference for first responders and the citizens they serve.