AT&T claims T-Mobile Priority is ‘false and confusing marketing’

AT&T has called out T-Mobile for its marketing campaign that promotes “T-Mobile Priority”. A direct competitor to AT&T’s FirstNet, T-Mobile Priority will cater to the public safety community.

AT&T claims T-Mobile Priority marketing campaign is misleading or confusing

Telecommunications and data networks for first responders and emergency workers operate on a different level. They are not clubbed with commercial cellular communication.

To offer immediate and quick access to the internet and communications during a crisis, AT&T offers its FirstNet network. Similarly, Verizon has its Frontline service.

T-Mobile recently announced T-Mobile Priority or T-Priority, which could be considered a competitor to AT&T’s FirstNet and Verizon’s Frontline. However, there’s a big difference in the technologies employed to offer internet and communications during a crisis.

The Mobile Report has access to an internal AT&T document, wherein the telecom company has criticized T-Mobile. AT&T has written to its employees claiming T-Mobile “falsely claims it is the world’s first network slice for First Responders”.

The document stresses how FirstNet is different and better than T-Priority. The internal memo even implies T-Mobile is testing unproven technology on the “wrong people”. The company has called T-Mobile “irresponsible” for doing so.

How is AT&T’s FirstNet different from T-Mobile Priority?

In the internal document, AT&T has stressed its FirstNet service offers “a dedicated communications platform for public safety”. The company has called T-Mobile Priority a “commercial offering”.

Technically speaking, AT&T’s FirstNet operates on a dedicated cellular frequency (band 14). Similarly, Verizon Frontline uses band 13. Needless to say, these frequency bands are reserved for first responders.

T-Mobile Priority will reportedly operate on T-Mobile’s existing 5G bands. However, the company plans to segment the traffic ensuring emergency workers have a reliable communication pathway.

Moreover, T-Mobile has indicated it will deploy 24/7 Emergency Management trucks. These vehicles could act as mobile communication towers to help fix problems affecting the network. They will also offer support during disasters, public safety incidents, and more.

Although T-Mobile’s solution could work, AT&T has slammed the company for testing its technology on a sector that has critical communications needs. AT&T has suggested T-Mobile should have first tested its network slicing on commercial customers or subscribers.

Incidentally, AT&T has admitted it plans to deploy 5G network slicing. However, the company pointed out it will use them for specific mission needs only.

Update:

T-Mobile has reached out to offer some clarifying points on this story. Extensive testing of the network slicing was done in commercial environments like the Red Bull Cliff Diving event in Boston, the PGA Championship, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. T-Mobile also notes that “AT&T’s FirstNet was the right solution for its time but it was built in the 4G era,” but that FirstNet also emphasized the importance of upgrading its network with 5G SA capabilities.

This is estimated to cost more than $6 Billion and take several years to complete. Whereas T-Mobile Priority, a service already built on T-Mobile’s 5G infrastructure, is available now.