T‑Mobile pitches public‑safety network, satellite backup to Oliver County commissioners

Matt Bucov, a T‑Mobile representative, told the Oliver County Board of Commissioners that T‑Mobile can now provide dedicated public‑safety capacity and satellite fallback for rural areas. "T Priority is T Mobile's newest public safety network," Bucov said, describing a network‑slicing approach that isolates government traffic from consumer traffic during congestion.

Bucov said T‑Mobile invested heavily across the region in 2025 and plans additional tower projects in 2026, including work in and around Oliver County and neighboring Mercer County. He described a satellite program launched in beta that allows compatible phones to connect to T‑Mobile exclusive low‑Earth‑orbit satellites for texting and light data where terrestrial coverage is absent; he said full voice to satellite is planned within roughly a year.

Commissioners asked about relative costs compared with Verizon and AT&T; Bucov said pricing is broadly comparable and that T‑Mobile can prepare a device‑ and use‑specific pricing proposal for county review. He offered to send coverage maps and graphs to staff and follow up with written proposals. The presentation lasted about 15 minutes and generated only clarifying questions from commissioners.

The next step is for county staff to request a written pricing and service proposal if the commission wants to pursue a formal procurement or a pilot for public‑safety devices.