T-Mobile is partnering with New York City to bring faster cell service to emergency first responders

T-Mobile is making moves to make sure it’s “first” among first responders.

The mobile giant announced that as a part of its T-Priority solution—a portion of T-Mobile’s 5G network that’s set aside specifically for use by first responders, to avoid network congestion and slowdowns during emergencies—it’s signed a contract with the City of New York to be the single carrier for the city’s public safety network comprising more than 40,000 personnel, and is allowing limited-time signups for free access to T-Priority through its first responder rate plans.

Additionally, the company is partnering with others in the industry to create an advanced 5G ecosystem, which should help numerous tools such as drones and AI-powered deployables perform better in the field. That partnership includes companies like Samsung and Skydio. T-Mobile is also making a $2 million donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports the families of fallen first responders.

“These are big investments, and it’s incredibly important work,” said Callie Field, president of T-Mobile Business Group, at an event in New York City on Thursday announcing the news. “We launched T-Priority for a reason. It was time to get this community better options . . . Even in 2025, when we expect instant communication, there are times when they can’t connect.” Field went on to say that almost two-thirds of first responders say they are concerned about network connectivity.

As such, Field said T-Mobile saw the announced moves as the company’s “responsibility.”

T-Mobile’s moves may be significant for emergency services, as first responders can find it difficult to communicate when cell service goes down. While fire and police departments generally do have other ways to get in touch with one another—via walkie-talkies or pagers, which should work in the event that cell service is down—when carrier networks are clogged up or otherwise crippled, it can hamper responses and potentially cost lives.

T-Mobile’s data says that T-Priority can offer up to 40% more 5G capacity to ensure first responders can stay connected, and it’s designed to emphasize speed for data-intensive communications. T-Priority also meshes with T-Mobile’s plan to launch T-Mobile Starlink this year, which will help get signals through to parts of the country that are not reachable by cell towers.