During a disaster, increased traffic and damaged infrastructure can lead to telecom outages when communication is most critical. To ensure that emergency personnel can still coordinate rescue efforts, U.S. telecom providers partner with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to offer Wireless Priority Service (WPS), a program that provides priority access to first responders during network failures. WPS-enabled communications require guaranteed connectivity, low latency, and high reliability, regardless of network conditions.
5G technology is transforming how telecom providers tackle this challenge by enabling a process known as network slicing. With network slicing, telecom engineers divide a 5G network into independent sections, each customized to a specific use case. When using network slicing in concert with real-time analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven decision-making, the result is a more resilient, efficient, and responsive network. Ultimately, resilient 5G networks build trust by ensuring the network is available when it’s needed most.
Advances in 5G networks
5G networks operate on the same underlying principles as 4G but offer significant advances. When a device connects to a mobile network to make a call or query an internet service provider (ISP), the signal travels first to an antenna known as a radio access network (RAN). That signal is then sent through the transport network and enters the core network, which serves as the command center that determines the route the signal will take to complete the request.
A 5G network antenna uses less power than a 4G antenna, freeing up capacity and delivering higher-speed connectivity to mobile users. 5G core networks also use their increased processing power to serve as distributed data centers, coordinating and processing complex tasks that maximize network performance. Real-time analytics and AI-powered automation strengthen these core network functions , assisting providers with network orchestration and reducing manual tasks through features like one-click management.
Network slicing allows telecom providers to dedicate virtual sections, or slices, of the core network to specific users. In emergency response, this enables providers to identify mission-critical users and assign them priority status on the network. When comparing 4G and 5G networks, researchers found that network slicing with 5G is significantly more effective at delivering uninterrupted communications during a disaster.
Resilient 5G cores
The 5G core network is cloud-native, which enables it to leverage multiple cloud infrastructures for greater flexibility, continuity, and adaptability. Redundant backups and failover capabilities help ensure that even if parts of a network fail, software automation can seamlessly activate alternate paths and resources to provide uninterrupted service to priority users.
This automation is known as adaptive session management, where system parameters like bandwidth and latency are monitored and optimized in real time. Dynamic policy enforcement also plays a role in real-time network optimization by allowing network rules to adapt to changing conditions.
Redundant backups, adaptive session management, and dynamic policy enforcement are critical in emergency scenarios, where first responders can require double the cellular data of regular users.
The synergy of WPS with 5G
When emergency response organizations subscribe to WPS, information about their devices is shared with telecom providers. Those providers then assign the devices special identifiers known as marking parameters, which can be activated in an emergency to automatically identify WPS-registered devices. This allows providers to deliver ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) to emergency responders through customized network slices.
This process ensures reliable communications between command centers, first responders, and other critical personnel with latencies as low as one millisecond. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), calls made through WPS during times of network outage and congestion have a 95% success rate.
Another benefit of WPS with 5G is interoperability among all major service carriers, tapping into the collective power of what are typically separate networks. In addition, WPS services are free for all users and offer efficient bulk-subscription options for organizations registering numerous devices simultaneously.
Test cases, challenges, and future trends
Learning from real-world use cases is critical for telecom providers and emergency responders. T-Mobile is one of the first major carriers to offer standalone 5G, and the company is actively implementing network slicing at scale. Test cases, such as network slicing for large sporting events, help the company develop its 5G core functionality, which also benefits emergency scenarios. In 2023, T-Mobile created “T-Priority,” a network slice dedicated solely to emergency responders.
In 2024, AT&T signed a $146 million contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to support the development of services for 5G networks tailored primarily to national security and emergency preparedness. Public and private partnerships like these are crucial as carriers tackle the technical challenges of transitioning from 4G to standalone 5G.
New technologies create new challenges, and providers are working to improve interoperability across domains and vendors, scale network slices, develop standardized metrics, and increase energy efficiency. Telecommunications networks are highly complex, and 5G adoption takes time. While carriers upgrade their networks, researchers are already looking to the future. Advancements like 6G networks, quantum computing, and improved AI automation are on the horizon. These multidisciplinary approaches offer the promise of more sophisticated and powerful communication networks.
The importance of strategic partnerships
Resilient networks that supply uninterrupted service to emergency personnel are vital to effective disaster response. By leveraging dynamic self-healing features, redundant failover mechanisms, and real-time traffic prioritization in 5G networks, first responders can maintain critical communications when lives are at stake.
As more telecom providers modernize their systems, advances in 5G and automation increase the capacity of these networks to perform under strain and adapt to changing conditions in real time.
Strategic partnerships between telecom providers and public safety organizations through programs like WPS are key to ensuring the reliability of mission-critical communications. Through these continued partnerships, public safety organizations will benefit from future advances in telecommunications capabilities.
