Regardless of the task, smartphones have become essential to effective operations. When disaster strikes or a major incident unfolds, cellular services can be disrupted due to service demands or equipment limitations. These are the situations when it's vital that first responders and other key infrastructure components can access mobile networks for their mission-critical and mission-essential communications. Wireless Priority Service (WPS) ensures cellular calls get priority, regardless of the carrier used by the caller or recipient. WPS is managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. WPS is available to a wide range of public/private organizations including safety, health, utilities, communications, transportation, as well as industries relevant to the nation's critical infrastructure.
However, WPS enrollment is required, and many people mistakenly believe their carrier's prioritization system will work the same way. This is not the case and calls made across carriers may not receive priority unless the caller's line is properly enrolled in WPS. Find out why WPS is essential, whether your organization qualifies, and how to enroll. Also, learn about the newly available prioritization of data sent by mobile devices in a program that adds data priority in collaboration with CISA. Information regarding the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), which is complementary to WPS, will also be provided. The presenter for this session has helped more than one thousand organizations enroll in WPS and has extensive experience serving on the DHS/CISA Service Provider Council.