Irving, Texas: Leading the way in public safety with the Verizon Frontline Network Slice

At a glance

• Solving connectivity gaps: The City of Irving partnered with Verizon Frontline to address network congestion that previously “bogged down” first responders’ communications during high-traffic public events.
• The “dedicated highway” technology: The Verizon Frontline Network Slice (VFNS) utilizes 5G Ultra Wideband to create a dedicated virtual network, ensuring mission-critical data has its own high-speed path separate from general public traffic.
• Proven success in the field: During a pilot trial at a Fourth of July celebration with 20,000 attendees, Irving officials reported “perfect” performance, providing the reliability needed for real-time emergency response.

In the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex lies the City of Irving, a vibrant community with a deep commitment to its residents and first responders. So it’s not surprising that the City of Irving and Verizon Frontline recently partnered to deploy cutting-edge technology that delivers dedicated network resources for first responders, the Verizon Frontline Network Slice (VFNS).

The challenge of the critical moment

The Irving Police Department (PD) realized they had a critical gap during high-traffic events: their previous carrier’s network would “bog down,” leaving them without the dedicated connectivity essential for their missions. This vulnerability, especially during large public gatherings like the city’s annual Sparks & Stripes Fourth of July Celebration, highlighted the need for a truly dedicated solution.

As Irving’s IT Communications Director John Chaney notes, the stakes are incredibly high for first responders. “Connectivity is everything because when it comes down to it, if anything happens, you want those first responders to get the information and the data they need as quickly as possible.”

Enter the Verizon Frontline Network Slice, a dedicated 5G Ultra Wideband (UW) virtual network slice that offers several key advantages including:

• Dedicated 5G UW network resources: Helps ensure network resource availability and enhanced quality of service solely for first responders.
• Tailored performance: Optimizes data traffic for critical applications and devices based on operational needs.
• Enhanced reliability: Significantly reduces the risk of disruption to mission-critical communications, even during high network congestion.
• Flexible scalability: Allows Verizon to efficiently allocate dedicated network resources in real-time to meet operational demands.

After trialing the Verizon Frontline Network Slice at their Fourth of July Celebration, which saw 20,000 spectators, Irving PD saw the difference immediately. 

“We used the Verizon Frontline Network Slice in a pilot trial and we had no issues at all, it was perfect,” Chaney shared, saying of the technology, “It does not just put us in a pool of radios and give us priority. It actually creates a dedicated highway for critical information and data.”

The power of partnership

Verizon Frontline is the #1 network choice in public safety, and as Patty Roze, Verizon Public Sector Vice President says, it’s an honor to support Irving’s first responders. 

“Partnering with the City of Irving to give first responders this cutting-edge technology is incredible and we’re proud to be their choice as a critical communications provider,” said Roze.

The partnership is built on Verizon’s history of delivering the most reliable network. According to Chad Powell, Chief Technology Officer for the City of Irving, “The main reason at the time that we chose Verizon was because they had absolutely the best network. Now it's so much more than that.”