When the Panthers play a home game,
thousands of fans fill the seats to cheer for their home team. Not only does the stadium itself have room to seat about 75,000 people, but there are also hundreds of people in the stadium or within close proximity providing support — at concessions, providing media coverage or working security for the traffic into, out of, and during the game. Almost every one of those thousands of people has a cell phone, and the large number of people expecting access at a moment’s notice can overload the system.
If you’ve ever been to a game and tried to share a selfie with the scoreboard right after Cam Newton scores a touchdown, you have probably experienced that system overload. Texting a picture to a friend might take a few minutes, whereas in most situations the text would go through almost immediately. This is because there are only a few cellular sites around the stadium, with each tower accommodating about 3,000-4,000 talk paths. That gives access to about 16,000 people at once.
The slow service might be a slight inconvenience for fans hoping to send texts to friends at home about the game’s progress, but imagine what it could mean in the case of an emergency. First responders need access to instant communication at all times.
That’s where FirstNet comes into play.
FirstNet is ultimately public safety’s very own network. The network, which will shadow off current, existing networks, will give first responders priority during times of emergency, pre-empting anyone else who might be trying to get online and giving first responders the ability to communicate when no one else can on a highly secure network.
Advantages of FirstNet:
Currently, first responders have access to instant communication through two-way radios, which provide a valuable service during times of emergency. But the possibilities afforded by a dedicated network are game-changing when it comes to emergency response. With access to a smartphone or tablet in addition to instant verbal communication, emergency personnel can access data such as maps for dispatch, response plans for specific situations and much more.
For example, most people are familiar with the Find Friends app available on smartphones. When you pull this up, it allows you to see the location of your friends in real-time. Imagine the benefits if this type of application were available to emergency personnel while out in the field, and they could immediately assess where other members of the team were and each person’s availability.
FirstNet is in the very early stages of development, and the possibilities open to providing new services and capabilities are exciting. RCS Wireless Technology, as a leader in providing communication tools for first responders, is working closely with FirstNet to stay abreast of all the developments and new additions.
We’re working hard to make sure we have all the information our clients need to stay on top of the technology and applications available for first responders, in order to make our lives as safe and secure as possible.
Call our service team today to learn more about our products and services at 1-336-788-9191, or toll-free at 1-800-441-9191, or use the button below to send a message to one of our customer service agents.