See the summary below that was composed all from open sources, so there is no "behind the scenes" insights being exposed. All of this information has been in the open press.
FirstNet Status
FirstNet’s mission is to build a nationwide cellular data LTE network for use by all responders to daily public safety incidents and also disasters.
FirstNet has really moved fast over the past year:
• Issued an RFP seeking a private company vendor to deploy the network
• Responses were due and accepted on May 31, 2016
• The successful bidder will have access to $6.5 billion to deploy FirstNet, but also would need to generate tens of billions of additional dollars to actually construct the network and bring public safety users onto it. The successful vendor would generate these additional funds by selling excess capacity on FirstNet’s spectrum to consumers and businesses.
However there have been recent developments in the past three weeks which will delay the announcement of a successful bidder to deploy the network. The following information has been reported in the media, but has NOT been confirmed by FirstNet.
• Rivada Mercury, which says it is one of the bidders on the FirstNet RFP, filed a lawsuit in Federal court on November 21 over what it says is the illegal and “wrongful exclusion” of its consortium from the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet) procurement process for a partner to build and maintain a nationwide public safety broadband network.
• The lawsuit will delay an award of the contract until March 1, 2017.
• The consortium wants a federal court to grant declaratory and permanent injunctive relief blocking the Interior Department, which is handling FirstNet’s procurement, from awarding a contract without including Rivada Mercury as one of the two finalists in the bid.
• The consortium is led by Rivada Networks LLC, although Rivada and the following four partners each have a 20% stake in the enterprise: Black & Veatch, Fujitsu Network Communications, Harris Corp., and Nokia, Inc.
• After this filing, AT&T announced that it had asked to be heard during the lawsuit as an interested party. The media have widely reported that AT&T is the final vendor remaining other than Rivada.
• Previously, in mid-October, a third vendor, pdvWireless, was eliminated from the process. The CEO of pdvWireless, Morgan O’Brien, told Urgent Communications that they were eliminated and that he felt FirstNet’s process was fair.
For additional information:
• http://urgentcomm.com/public-safety-broadbandfirstnet/att-states-belief-its-firstnet-bid-only-one-within-competitive-range
• http://urgentcomm.com/public-safety-broadbandfirstnet/att-apparent-selection-build-firstnet-rivada-mercury-files-protest-o
• http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/at-t-likely-to-win-firstnet-but-delays-could-hurt
• http://urgentcomm.com/blog/morgan-obrien-reflects-dismissed-bid-nationwide-firstnet-contract-potential-public-safety
