If you are a first responder and haven’t seen FirstNet, I suggest checking it out.
While all major carriers claim to offer a First Responder offering, only AT&T offers FirstNet which is not only a discounted plan, it has tremendous technical enhancements.
After 9/11, the US realized that communication was a major barrier between first responders on that horrid day, and the government started FirstNet, a wireless network which will always be available and carry priority over other standard consumer’s wireless activities.
At a certain point, they tapped AT&T to run the FirstNet program for them, signing a 25 year contract with them.
The FirstNet program uses all major carrier’s towers (that’s right) and Unlimited Data will NEVER be throttled. Furthermore, in the event of a catastrophic disaster (god forbid), even if everyone’s wireless connections are down, FirstNet will be up.
No, I don’t work for AT&T or FirstNet. I am a firefighter and was an early adopter of FirstNet. But I only learned this past week that even if you’re on the program, if you’re not utilizing a FirstNet SIM card or eSim, you won’t benefit from these technical advantages. I’m disappointed that AT&T’s phone staff wasn’t better prepared or educated about this, and I figured it out myself by chance.
UNLESS YOUR CARRIER SHOWN SAYS FIRSTNET, you’re not going to get that network priority.
Also, be advised that when activating FirstNet via eSim, you cannot have a physical SIM CARD in your phone’s sim slot. Activation will not succeed properly.
