AT&T's FirstNet success shows it's capable of rapidly building extensive industry-specific networks

AT&T revealed the latest figures for the FirstNet network, an AT&T-built national LTE network dedicated to public safety and first responders, showcasing a growing subscriber base.The network, which was launched in March 2018, now reaches over 7,000 public safety agencies, accounting for over 600,000 connected devices. This is up from the 425,000 connections and 5,250 agencies disclosed at the end of 2018, and 250,000 connections and 3,600 agencies in October 2018. Here's what it means: The FirstNet network highlights AT&T's ability to rapidly build out an extensive industry-specific network that it can lean on to promote growth. AT&T has not only deployed network infrastructure across hundreds of markets in the US, but has done so ahead of schedule. For context, FirstNet network relies on Band 14 spectrum to provide a wide and reliable coverage area for first responders and public safety agencies. Band 14 has now been deployed in over 600 markets in the US, which “is running well ahead of schedule,” according to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson; by the end of Q1 2019, the company had accomplished 53% of the network's buildout and expects to reach 60% or more by the end of Q3 2019.On top of building out an extensive network, AT&T has been able to provide a stronger service to users. FirstNet is reported to consistently perform over 25% faster than any other commercial network, according to test results by Speedtest that have been analyzed by AT&T. The wireless giant has been able to find ways to attract new customers, not just migrate existing ones. AT&T reports that around 50% of total connections to FirstNet come from subscribers who previously relied on a different carrier. One way the company has been able to accomplish this is by offering family deals, which has resulted in AT&T getting two family members for every FirstNet subscriber who comes on to the network. The bigger picture: Being able to build appealing industry-specific networks and services will become a must-have capability for telecoms.As the US smartphone market nears saturation, carriers are increasingly looking for ways to drive up revenue. Business-to-business (B2B) segments offer the most promisingavenues toward growth because they currently account for only a small portion of a carrier's revenue but represent a long runway.However, unlike consumers, enterprises have a wide range of needs, which is highly dependent on what industry they occupy; for example, while the transportation industry is focused on connecting autonomous cars, the manufacturing industry is focused on warehouse robotics. As such, the carriers that are able to show that they can quickly build out unique solutions will be in a strong position to capture a larger part of the B2B market.