5G and Public Safety: Transforming Emergency Response With T-Priority

First responders don’t hesitate — they act. They answer 200 million emergencies a year, making split-second decisions that save lives. Yet even today, too many still face connectivity challenges that slow them down when every moment counts. A recent survey found that 64% of first responders say an unreliable network is their biggest concern. That’s not just frustrating — it can mean the difference between life and death.

In 2025, network congestion, coverage gaps and slow speeds shouldn’t stand in the way of real-time communication at the most critical of times. Enter T-Priority, the nation’s first priority 5G network slice built by T-Mobile, and designed specifically for first responders.

T-Priority is the biggest step forward in public safety connectivity in years — a breakthrough solution built FOR first responders, delivering priority access on a 5G network with more capacity and the most advanced coverage available. Think of the slice like a traffic cop: It’s always directing network traffic to give first responders the best possible experience, with up to five times the network resources of everyone else.

So, the essential tools that firefighters, paramedics, utility crews and healthcare teams depend on every day — like smartphones, tablets, thermal imaging and radios — run on a network that keeps up with them. And as their needs and tools evolve with the latest technology like drones, robots and augmented reality, T-Priority will support them, too.

This is the power of 5G: raising the bar for public safety, accelerating information-sharing, improving situational awareness, and redefining what’s possible in emergency response.

This level of network innovation didn’t happen overnight. It has taken years of investment, testing, and industry leadership and partnerships. In 2020, we were the first U.S. operator to commercially launch a 5G standalone (SA) core — the foundation for advanced solutions like T-Priority. While the other guys are still transitioning from older 4G LTE networks, we’ve already brought 5G SA to first responders who are putting it to work in real emergencies.

During the recent wildfires, we activated T-Priority for the Los Angeles Fire Department and provided Wi-Fi routers, hotspots and 5G antennas to keep them connected on the front lines.

Urgent connectivity like this is why more agencies are turning to the Un-carrier. The city of New York — with the largest police and fire department system in the country, handling 9 million 911 calls a year — chose T-Mobile as its single carrier to deliver 5G network capabilities. Everything we’ve learned from working with them to build and run a service that can serve New York City is what makes T-Priority ready to support any first responder mission in America. And it’s not just about large agencies. Since 65% of firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers, we’re also bringing the T-Priority network slice to individual first responders, who now have the option to add it to select plans.

When lives are on the line, there’s no room for dropped connections or slow response times. T-Priority is a game-changer for public safety. It reflects T-Mobile’s commitment to using our network for good, giving first responders and agencies the full benefits of 5G.

THIS is what leadership looks like. And we won’t stop pushing the boundaries of connectivity — especially when it helps save lives and empowers those who risk everything for us every day.