T Expands Public Safety Connectivity Portfolio: Will it Drive Growth?

AT&T, Inc. T recently introduced FirstNet Fusion, a leading-edge mission-critical communications platform. The platform is designed to act as a one-stop solution that integrates multiple communication tools into a unified, interoperable ecosystem.

It combines capabilities like push-to-talk, NextGen 9-1-1 dispatch and connected devices. The platform is made available to all public safety teams regardless of the radio system or U.S. wireless carrier they are using. The Fusion link feature bridges the gap between legacy land mobile radio systems and modern broadband, enabling push-to-talk.

The open platform can easily work with other public safety systems, such as Axon’s Fusus situational awareness platform and Carbyne’s cloud-native APEX 9-1-1 call-handling platform. This eliminates the issues with vendor lock-in. The interoperability and compatibility with other public safety systems significantly boost coordination, situational awareness and emergency response capabilities of first responders.

AT&T is a dominant player in the public safety space. Its FirstNet, a public-private partnership, is a dedicated network infrastructure for public safety and emergency responders. FirstNet covers more than 2.99 square miles and continues to expand based on first responders’ feedback. In 2025, AT&T deployed 1,000 new cell sites to support public safety operations across rural and remote areas of the country. Now with the introduction of FirstNet Fusion, AT&T aims to set a new benchmark in the mission-critical communication system in the public safety space.

How Are Competitors Faring?

AT&T faces competition from T-Mobile US, Inc. TMUS and Verizon Communications, Inc. VZ in the public safety connectivity domain. Verizon’s public safety offering, Verizon Frontline, has a solid track record and is trusted by emergency responders across local, state and federal agencies. Introduction of network slicing and 24/7 dedicated support makes it a favorable choice for frontline workers. Recently, the Tampa Police Department has formed a partnership with Verizon Frontline. Verizon will deploy 950 5G Ultra-Wideband smartphones to enhance police communications.

T-Mobile’s public safety offering, T-Priority, though lacking federal endorsement like AT&T FirstNet, has secured a major connectivity deal with the City of New York in 2025. The TMUS network is serving as the backbone of major public safety departments. It also offers 5G network slicing, significantly enhancing the communication capabilities of first responders. The company is expanding the T-Priority 5G coverage across 500K square miles of rural America to connect first responders and safety officials anywhere across the country. T-Mobile is positioning itself as the nation’s first 5G standalone network slice provider for public safety operations.

T’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

AT&T stock has gained 20.3% over the past year compared with the Wireless National industry’s growth of 2%.

Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 11.86 forward earnings, lower than the industry’s 12.54.

The earnings estimate for AT&T for 2025 has remained unchanged over the past 60 days, while the same for 2026 has decreased.

AT&T currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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