Verizon (Frontline) and FirstNet - revisiting the "best" carrier

[veri]

In revisiting the optimal carrier setup for myself, I thought I'd see what HF has to say in its collective wisdom.

As always, location, location, location.

In my area(s), a few things are true:
- Verizon has better voice coverage in my home (FirstNet goes digital annoyingly quickly), with data being a toss-up;
- FirstNet via Wi-Fi Calling negates this somewhat;
- A primary workplace has a Verizon DAS and spotty FirstNet coverage;
- Secondary workplaces are a toss-up between FirstNet and Verizon being "best";
- Verizon was the carrier to beat in my region for years, though I'm not sure it's meaningfully better than AT&T/FirstNet these days;
- Bandwidth spot testing shows one better than the other here and there, and I'm not sure I've noticed a consistent winner;

For me:
- I've been on FirstNet for awhile;
- I have WPS, meaning on Verizon, which prioritizes voice and data within Verizon's RAN with WPS accounts even without *272 for end-to-end voice (source, third slide), there would be some sort of prioritization, though the benefit of which is uncertain;
- FirstNet pricing is hard to beat.

FirstNet, being a 24/7 prioritized, preemption-enabled, unlimited everything, at $50/mo, option, is great. Its buildout has done great things for AT&T's coverage footprint.

Verizon, which consistently ranks slightly higher via RootMetrics and OpenSignal consumer reports, and which has a leg up on C-band and its deployment, theoretically seems like it should be "better" but is also a negligible extra monthly premium. Something like +$20/mo for a comparable plan, give or take.

For anyone who is in an area with functional, "good" service on both carriers, which have you chosen and why? FirstNet with excellent price and "always on" prioritization? Verizon due to footprint/history/something else? I've waffled on this lately and feel like the answer should be more clear than it is.

[zapjb]

FirstNet is AT&T. I think you have it backwards.

[veri]

FirstNet is AT&T. I think you have it backwards.

Oh, no, I'm aware; appreciated though. I'm comparing FirstNet (AT&T) to Frontline (Verizon).

[MTS2000]

FirstNet is a government authority, who contracted with AT&T to provide an LTE/5G network for government/public safety, and has exclusive access to Band 14 spectrum. The FirstNet core is physically separate from the AT&T consumer core. Depending on provisioning, a FN subscriber can have elevation all the time, some of the time, or dynamically (per incident). AT&T is the ONLY current provider of FN services. Just because a subscriber has FN does not mean they are elevated all the time, it depends on who they are, and how their device is managed and provisioned. An agency owned device is provisioned differently than a First Responder personal plan device. While the personal device can be affiliated with an agency or added by an agency administrator for elevation, it is not automatic.

VZW's FrontLine- can't comment on.

I am an agency admin for our FN devices. Whether or not it works for you is like any other cellular plan, does it work in your area? Do others have it you can verify with have good coverage?

FN is on a huge expansion phase now, and they are deploying femto cells in government buildings at low or no cost, where coverage problems exist. Your agency admin can facilitate this if needed, but there are limited numbers of them available. CRDs are also available for events and disasters.

[veri]

I am an agency admin for our FN devices. Whether or not it works for you is like any other cellular plan, does it work in your area? Do others have it you can verify with have good coverage?

Belated response here, but, pros/cons. I'm sub-paid / "level 4" per the old interface, without agency affiliation. Perhaps what I'm looking for are opinions on which is likely to be better long-term choice, as where I am is such that it's a bit of a toss-up in different areas between Verizon/AT&T.

I've spent quite a bit of time becoming familiar with FN over the last year, and I'd like to think that FN, being a public-private project and the point of it all, is the better choice overall. Certainly, we've seen impressive growth in the AT&T footprint because of it over the last few years, rivaling Verizon. However, I waffle about this because VZW has been the telecom behemoth for quite a long time where it was seen as the best network for years, currently has the C-band advantage, may or may not still have better overall coverage than AT&T(?), etc.

My thought was that if we are to say that Verizon may still edge out AT&T, to have the benefits of a Frontline plan re: pricing being ~on par with FirstNet, feature parity, and with its priority/preemption, and with me putting WPS on top of that when needed, may be me having my cake and eating it too.

[veri]

- I have WPS, meaning on Verizon, which prioritizes voice and data within Verizon's RAN with WPS accounts even without *272 for end-to-end voice (source, third slide), there would be some sort of prioritization, though the benefit of which is uncertain

Quoting my own comment here - can anyone independently fact-check me and confirm this? Though the above source from years ago suggests what's mentioned above and as I was told before, in multiple more recent conversations with Verizon consumer, public safety, and business staff, nobody can confirm the above from a technical standpoint and defers to someone else. There is no mention of the above on official Verizon WPS materials (in comparison to T-Mobile, for example, which expressly does do this). Have seen multiple posts here and on Reddit dating back a few years trying to clarify exactly what Verizon's Mobile Broadband Priority and their WPS implementation can and cannot do.