Wireless Priority Services (WPS) for Utilities

Natacha Baroni, Head of Energy Product Marketing at T-Mobile for Business

In an emergency, first responders like police, fire, and emergency medical services rush to the scene. But energy utilities often play a crucial role as well. Power outages frequently occur along with wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards. And cyberattacks, electromagnetic pulses, and geomagnetic storms can also undermine utility operations.

When an incident interrupts the power supply, utility workers respond immediately to address hazards and get public health and safety facilities back online. To recover quickly, everyone must work as a team, confirming resources, updating tasks, and relaying essential information. The preferred access to communications is through WPS, meaning Wireless Priority Services. T-Mobile provides preferred access to communication at no additional cost to utility companies enrolled in wireless priority access (WPS). T-Mobile also delivers prioritization and preemption to voice and data services to help communities when they need it the most.

Definition

What is Wireless Priority Service?

Wireless Priority Services give authorized devices priority calling on nationwide and regional cellular networks when users dial the *272 code—but doesn’t preempt calls in progress or block public network use. WPS calls bypass network congestion and degradation and enjoy a 95% completion rate, giving first responders' cell phones priority. The service is managed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Benefits

How does WPS benefit utility workers?

Your utility technicians may be making an urgent call or sharing critical files. They need access to the network NOW—and can count on it thanks to these WPS benefits:

Priority access—first responders with WPS receive priority and are moved to the front of the communication line
Preemption—a non-priority user without WPS is dropped off the network to make room for the first responder with WPS
End-to-end prioritization—using WPS by dialing *272 or using the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)/WPS app gives your call priority even if the recipient is on a different network

T-Mobile can help meet your connectivity needs now and lay the foundation for the future.

Eligibility

Who is eligible for WPS?

The Federal Communications Commission assigns all WPS subscribers to a user category (one through five) based on their role in a disaster or incident response. Personnel working in public services/utilities, public welfare, and critical infrastructure protection are assigned to category four, right behind public health, safety, and law enforcement personnel.

Use case

Why use free T-Mobile WPS?

T-Mobile delivers America’s largest and fastest 5G network to first responders. Utilities registered for WPS at T-Mobile receive priority access for voice and data, and preemption for voice on T-Mobile’s nationwide network—at no cost for enrollment or use. We are the first and only carrier to commit available network resources to your data applications and aim to maintain a minimum performance of 512 kpbs.

Organizations can easily mass-subscribe select personnel to WPS via our bulk upload feature. Our services also come with 24-hour User Assistance at 1-800-818-4387.

T-Mobile can help.

T-Mobile puts utility responders first with WPS. For further information, contact T-Mobile for Business.

T-Mobile has America’s largest and fastest 5G network, imagined for tomorrow but ready to give you an edge today. At T-Mobile for Business, we’re focused on providing your business with connectivity solutions and the dedicated, exceptional service you need to help you stay ahead. T-Mobile experts will work with you from beginning to end to help you select a network solution and achieve your modernization goals. To learn more about how T-Mobile is fueling digital transformation for today’s energy companies, visit our energy industry page.

About the author:

Natacha Baroni is the Head of Energy Product Marketing at T-Mobile for Business, with over a decade of experience enabling customers in the energy industry improve efficiency, digital transformation, and safety. Specializing in marketing and product management, Natacha uses her experience to bring industry and customer perspectives into the development of business initiatives and go to market strategies to best meet industry needs.

Natacha holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and an MBA from Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis.

Fastest: Based on median, overall combined 5G speeds according to analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 5G download speeds for Q2 2023. See 5G device, coverage, & access details at T-Mobile.com. WPS eligibility must be confirmed by USDHS. Functionality for WPS users (including priority access, preemption, and data priority) may not be available while roaming. Completion of calls not guaranteed. Coverage not available in some areas and may be impacted by emergencies; check your response area.

Wireless Priority Services Connect Utilities When Every Second Counts

Wireless Priority Services connect utilities when every second counts.

Definition

Benefits

Eligibility

Use case

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