Catalyst Communications to Integrate Dispatch Platform with AT&T FirstNet Fusion MCX Ecosystem | IWCE 2026

AT&T expands FirstNet Fusion partner ecosystem with addition of Catalyst dispatch interoperability platform

One week before exhibiting at IWCE 2026 Catalyst CEO Robin Grier announced in an interview with Donny Jackson, editor or Urgentcomm, that interoperability solutions provider Catalyst Communications has confirmed that its Catalyst Dispatch platform will be integrated with FirstNet Fusion, the next-generation mission-critical communications (MCX) ecosystem being developed by the FirstNet unit of AT&T. FirstNet is the contractor responsible for building and operating the United States' nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).

The integration positions Catalyst Dispatch as a native 3GPP-compliant dispatch solution within the Fusion platform, offering built-in intelligent land mobile radio (LMR) interworking alongside broadband interoperability capabilities. According to the company, the solution is designed to ensure a smooth transition for existing customers as FirstNet moves away from its current platform toward the new Fusion architecture.

Catalyst's readiness for this integration has been shaped by years of grant work with federal government entities and real-world deployments across a diverse range of vendors and end users. Among its notable deployments is a partnership with Southern Linc, the carrier division of Southern Company, a major utility operator serving the southeastern United States. These operational experiences have contributed to the maturation of Catalyst Dispatch and its ability to bridge LMR systems with standards-compliant MCX environments.

The platform supports both broadband and traditional LMR communications through a unified dispatch console, enabling operators to communicate across both network types without requiring knowledge of the underlying infrastructure — a capability considered significant for streamlining dispatcher workflows in time-critical situations.

AT&T has emphasised the importance of ecosystem collaboration in delivering FirstNet Fusion to public safety users. The company has highlighted its intent to work with specialised public-safety technology providers to equip first responders with tools that support mission readiness across diverse and complex incident scenarios.

FirstNet Fusion was announced in late 2024 as AT&T's strategic initiative to replace FirstNet PTT — the Samsung-powered mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) offering that achieved limited market adoption — with a comprehensive suite of 3GPP-standard-compliant MCX solutions encompassing MCPTT, MCData, and MCVideo.

In written testimony submitted to a U.S. Senate subcommittee in January, AT&T's president of FirstNet and public-sector mobility outlined the scope of FirstNet Fusion, describing it as a platform designed to combine push-to-talk, dispatch, and connected device capabilities into a unified experience. The initiative is intended to facilitate interoperability across jurisdictions, carriers, and technologies, supporting first responders during everyday emergencies, large-scale disasters, and major events requiring cross-agency coordination.

The Catalyst Dispatch integration represents one of a growing number of third-party technology partnerships being established within the FirstNet Fusion ecosystem as AT&T works to build out its next-generation public safety communications platform.