Panasonic Toughbook Hits the Road to Educate Customers as They Prepare for FirstNet

National Tour Will Feature Rugged Mobile Technology for Mission Critical Communications

Today, the Panasonic Toughbook Truck begins its journey to support first responders' transition to FirstNet, the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America's public safety community. The 40-foot Toughbook Truck is designed and outfitted to offer an educational, immersive mobile experience across the U.S. in partnership with AT&T and Sierra Wireless. For a complete list of cities and dates, visit ToughbookFirstResponder.com.

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Panasonic's Toughbook Truck Hits the Road (Photo: Business Wire)

In each city the Toughbook Truck visits, the public safety community will be able to explore how Toughbook computers, services and support could complement the FirstNet mission. Panasonic's goal is to educate, equip and empower the beneficiaries of the FirstNet network – primary users such as law enforcement, fire fighters and EMS as well as extended primary users such as healthcare, transportation and utilities workers – with the right information, tools and technology to ensure a seamless implementation of the FirstNet service.

Panasonic System Solutions Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America has long been committed to the public safety sector and providing the men and women on the front lines with a diverse array of trusted technology and rugged mobility tools required to work efficiently and safely. With FirstNet here, Panasonic is further supporting the first responder community as they map out their wireless strategy for FirstNet adoption. In addition, as an authorized FirstNet dealer Panasonic can perform FirstNet service activations, helping agencies seamlessly make the transition to FirstNet service with industry leading rugged devices and FirstNet rate plans.

"Panasonic is working closely with customers ready to make the transition to FirstNet," said Mary Beth Hall, Director of Wireless Strategy, Marketing at Panasonic System Solutions of North America. "FirstNet is designed to ensure that vital communications get through during mission critical moments. This shares a common spirit with Toughbook, designed to get the job done when unexpected challenges arise."

"Supporting the first responder community with information and education to ease their transition onto FirstNet is a critical step toward adoption," said Scott Agnew, AT&T, FirstNet Program assistant vice president. "Understanding the FirstNet landscape and the hardware technology that will support them – both today and in the future – enables first responders to focus on their mission of protecting communities."

"Delivering innovative communications solutions like our AirPrime® EM7511 LTE-Advanced Pro embedded module to support first responders is a top priority for Sierra Wireless," said Dan Schieler, Senior Vice President and General Manager, OEM Solutions, Sierra Wireless. "In mission critical situations, first responders need reliable communication to ensure public safety, and we are proud to partner with AT&T and Panasonic to upgrade public safety agencies' technology capabilities and ensure seamless connectivity when it matters most."

"FirstNet is public safety's dedicated communication platform with a strong and growing marketplace of devices and applications designed for their lifesaving mission," said Jeff Bratcher, FirstNet Authority CTO and Operations Officer. "First responder's needs are unique and we're pleased to see industry partners rising to the challenge to help them serve their communities."

All Panasonic Toughbook devices are able to take advantage of FirstNet rate plans. While preparing first responders for the FirstNet transition, Panasonic is also preparing to offer FirstNet certified devices that are FirstNet Ready™ and able to offer customers the full FirstNet experience out of the box.

To learn more about Panasonic's solutions for first responders, visit na.panasonic.com/us/public-safety. To book your spot on the Toughbook Truck, visit info.panasonic.com/Toughbook_Truck_Firstnet_Registration.html. For more information about FirstNet, go to FirstNet.com. To learn more about the AT&T Alliance Channel, go to alliance.att.com.

About Panasonic
Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and leverages its strengths in Immersive Entertainment, Sustainable Energy, Automated Supply Chains and Connected Solutions to provide secure and resilient integrated solutions for B2B customers. Panasonic was highlighted in Forbes Magazine's Global 2000 ranking as one of the Top Ten Best Regarded Companies for 2017. The ranking is based on outstanding scores for trustworthiness, honesty with the public and superior performance of products and solutions. Learn more about Panasonic's ideas and innovations at Panasonic.com.

About Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless SWIR (TSX: SW) is an IoT pioneer, empowering businesses and industries to transform and thrive in the connected economy. Customers Start with Sierra because we offer a device to cloud solution, comprised of embedded and networking solutions seamlessly integrated with our secure cloud and connectivity services. OEMs and enterprises worldwide rely on our expertise in delivering fully integrated solutions to reduce complexity, turn data into intelligence and get their connected products and services to market faster. Sierra Wireless has more than 1,300 employees globally and operates R&D centers in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.sierrawireless.com.

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