Your network’s ready, so when the call comes in, you are too

• Operational best practices give you an unprecedented level of connectivity support.
   
• Rigorous lab and field testing in sites across America ensure only the most reliable experience for first responders. 
  
  
• Network configuration, service availability, and service quality are centrally managed from our Network Operations Center.
  
  
•  More than 70 of the top smartphone models, tablets, and other devices that your first responders use every day are certified, with more coming.
  

T-Priority, the world’s first 5G network slice for public safety, was purpose-built to address three connectivity challenges faced by first responders: network congestion, insufficient speeds for data-intensive communications like transmitting live video feeds, and coverage gaps.

Priority access, preemption, network slicing, and device certification make T-Priority uniquely suited to overcome these limitations.

Here’s why T-Priority is miles ahead of other Wireless Priority Service (WPS) providers. Network slicing is an advanced capability of 5G Standalone (SA) networks that lets us dedicate customized network partitions to specific use cases—like public safety comms. Today, T-Mobile is the only U.S. network operator to deploy the nationwide 5G SA Core needed to do this.

T-Priority’s ability to deliver effectively rests on a crucial piece of support infrastructure, the Network Operations Center (NOC). It’s where we centrally manage network configuration, service availability, and service quality.

The NOC gives our engineering team visibility into the performance of the network slice across our nationwide 5G network so we can monitor and ensure that service parameters are met and maintained.

We continuously enhance the T-Priority experience by keeping a close eye on key performance indicators such as network speeds, call performance, latency, and congestion levels. And, we conduct these KPI reviews at the account level, to a deeper cohort or divisional level, all the way down to the individual device.

Self-optimizing network (SON) modules serve as our eyes and ears on the ground—regularly checking tens of thousands of cell sites across the 5G network by looking for an identifier at each site. SON can even optimize the network automatically after a major disruption like a hurricane. These daily checks of the radio access network (RAN) ensure that the network slice is active, reducing concerns over T-Priority outages.

First responders use a growing range of 5G-capable devices. And we want to ensure that the devices you use every day work—every day.

In collaboration with our Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partners, we’ve tested more than 70 smartphone models and other devices—prioritized based on the devices that are most used by first responders today. And the list of T-Priority-certified devices keeps growing.

You won’t have to wait in line to access T-Priority in emergencies. T-Priority customers are recognized and your traffic is prioritized over that of others.

This distinguishing capability is called priority access and preemption. Priority access, as the name implies, gives priority access to users who are signed on to Wireless Priority Service (WPS), a federal emergency telecommunications program under the management of the Department of Homeland Security. T-Mobile proactively enrolls eligible agencies in WPS free of charge.

Preemption kicks in if the network gets overly congested, as can happen when a major event causes a sharp spike in user activity. If the network reaches capacity, T-Priority recognizes emergency-response customers and preempts others, helping ensure emergency personnel gain much-needed access to the network. With 5G’s outstanding capacity, such situations are rare, but it’s reassuring to know preemption is there if it's needed.