T-Mobile’s T-Priority: What It Means for the Fire Service
By Jonathan Boyd, Fire Chief at Allen Fire Department
T-Mobile recently announced T-Priority during their Capital Market Day, which introduces reserved network capacity for first responders using cutting-edge "network slicing" technology.
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/business/t-priority-network-slice-for-first-%20%20responders?cmpid=TFB_SLN_U_OWNDSOCIAL_ABF0F55DF7FF9EB4122971
Some of the key highlights from the announcement include:
- Dynamic network slicing for first responder traffic
- Prioritized access to data in high-demand situations
- Integration across T-Mobile's 5G infrastructure, covering a wide area
The potential here is promising because, as bandwidth demands for emergency response agencies continue to grow, the new tech could help us manage real-time video, high-volume data sharing, and complex communications more reliably.
What is Network Slicing?
Network slicing is a technology that allows the network to allocate dedicated resources (like a virtual lane on a highway) to specific types of traffic. A great analogy is emergency vehicles with lights on: data packets (vehicles) are all trying to travel across the network (the road), and when the system sees the "emergency vehicles," it slows down the regular traffic to ensure priority packets get through quickly. This virtual "lane" is potentially flexible. If only one emergency vehicle is on the road, other cars may not even notice. But, if many emergency vehicles (high- priority data) need access, regular traffic will slow down significantly or even stop.
For example, a 5G tower with a capacity of 1 Gbps could dynamically allocate 800 Mbps for first responder agencies during an emergency, leaving 200 Mbps for general public use. This ensures that first responders can send and receive critical information without delays, even in high-traffic situations.
What About Frequency Spectrum Interference?
This is an area where I still have questions. In extreme scenarios with heavy commercial traffic, spectrum interference could still be an issue. However, just like with our P25 radio systems, I imagine the cell tower will use control channels to guide devices on which frequencies are available. T-Mobile also noted that T-Priority operates across all 5G bands (low, mid, and high), reducing the likelihood of spectrum interference.
How Does It Compare to FirstNet?
FirstNet was designed to avoid spectrum interference by providing dedicated access through Band 14. During emergencies, commercial users can be removed from Band 14 to ensure that first responders have access. FirstNet also has extensive rural coverage, which is a big advantage.
However, FirstNet relies mainly on 4G LTE, which has limited data capacity. If your main focus is voice calls and simple text messages, FirstNet works great. But as emergency response agencies rely more on data-heavy technologies, 5G’s larger capacity could offer a significant advantage, especially for data-intense tasks.
What Uses So Much Data?
The biggest data hog? Video—especially live streaming. For instance, agencies using DroneSense Remote for drone operations require around 20 Mbps upload and download for smooth performance. One drone stream may not sound like much, but in a 4G LTE environment, which typically caps at 100 Mbps, just a few video streams could use up a significant chunk of bandwidth.
With more agencies using live video, multiple streams, and real-time situational awareness tools, data needs are growing exponentially.
Why 5G and T-Priority Matter
Even without T-Priority, 5G already offers a massive improvement over 4G in terms of data capacity. More bandwidth means that even during major emergencies, there’s still room for everyone—both first responders and the general public. And the public needs connectivity to evacuate, reunite with loved ones, and find emergency services. If they lose access, solving those problems will fall back on us, the emergency responders, making our job even harder.
Here is an article I wrote about that very subject: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/boyd1_the-day-our-cell-infrastructure-proved-its-activity-%20%207233883135782895617-2uNB?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
T-Priority potentially offers an additional layer of bandwidth security, ensuring we get the bandwidth we need in critical moments, while still allowing the general public to stay connected.
The Future
Overall, I’m optimistic about this new technology and will be closely watching their pilot programs, such as the one with the City of New York. New York will be a big test and success there pretty much will ensure legitimacy of the technology.
I'm also eager to learn more about hardware and software requirements and whether T-Priority will work at all 5G sites or if retrofitting is needed.
About the Author
Jonathan Boyd is the Fire Chief of the City of Allen Fire Department. Since joining the department in 1996, Boyd has held multiple key roles and became Fire Chief in 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas and completed the Executive Fire Officer Program in 2017.
