ELY, MN (KDAL) – First responders in northern Minnesota are getting a boost in wireless communications thanks to the FirstNet expansion in the region from AT&T.
A solar powered cell site on the Echo Trail northwest of Ely was launched last month and has already been used by those battling a wildfire near Bazhik Lake.
FirstNet is a nationwide, high speed broadband communications platform dedicated for use by first responders and the extended public safety community.
It is being built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the federal government.
St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman says the new tower provided critical wireless coverage in an area with poor to no previous coverage.
Other FirstNet sites have launched in Bagley, Cloquet, Hovland and other northern Minnesota communities.
The sites use the Band 14 spectrum that can be cleared and locked for the exclusive use of subscribing first responders.
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