AT&T bringing 'Band 14' to Niagara County

Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·1 min read

Mar. 9—AT&T has added four new cell sites in Niagara County to boost wireless connectivity for customers and FirstNet subscribers, the company announced on Monday.

The new cell sites serve parts of Lockport, Wheatfield, North Tonawanda, Pendleton and the Route 429 corridor between Sanborn and North Tonawanda.

"We consistently work to provide better coverage for the community and its first responders. And we're investing in our wireless network to accomplish that," Amy Kramer, president, AT&T New York, said in a release. "We want our customers to have a great experience. With 4G LTE service, they'll be able to experience better network connectivity while staying connected with work, streaming videos, sharing on social media or texting family and friends."

The company said its upgrades will also benefit public safety and first responders on FirstNet, a dedicated communications platform that gives first responders access to 24/7 priority and preemption across voice and data. FirstNet is the product of a public-private partnership between AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority.

The upgrades are bringing Band 14 spectrum, a nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the government specifically for FirstNet, to the area. Band 14 gives added coverage and capacity and AT&T likens it to "public safety's VIP lane." When Band 14 is not in use by FirstNet subscribers, it's available to AT&T customers, the company said.