HOLBROOK, Ariz., April 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Navajo
County Board of Supervisors and eX²
Technology joined together with Governor Hobbs, community
members, elected officials, and local, state and national leaders
to celebrate the official groundbreaking and construction of a more
than 100-mile open-access, dark fiber middle-mile network
infrastructure to expand broadband throughout Navajo County, Arizona.
The network will provide Navajo
County with the ability to sustain the broadband capacity to
support municipal fiber, telehealth, education, and Fiber to the
Premises (FTTP) for homes and businesses. Additionally, it will
interconnect with existing fiber networks in the region as well as
facilitate future connections to Phoenix,
Arizona, neighboring counties and tribal networks, and an
I-40 corridor expansion to Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
"Recognizing a need for reliable, affordable internet and
improved broadband offerings, the County commissioned a Broadband
Strategic Plan in early 2021, and we're now excited to be working
with eX² Technology to construct a middle-mile fiber optic
broadband system," said Navajo County Chairman of the Board Jason
E. Whiting. "This network will ensure the continuity of County
operations and serve to provide reliable connectivity to residents
and businesses for years to come. It can also help bring new
businesses to the region by meeting the connectivity needs required
to operate efficiently in today's global economy."
eX² Technology designed and will operate and maintain the
middle-mile network upon completion under a 20-year agreement. In
addition, eX² will serve as the County's exclusive
commercialization partner to market and offer conduit, dark fiber,
wireless and other wireline assets on a competitively neutral basis
to those seeking to expand their services throughout the
region.
"This open-access, middle-mile backbone will serve as an
economic growth engine for Navajo
County, enabling access to high-speed internet for the
region's underserved communities," said Jay
Jorgensen, COO at eX² Technology. "Moreover, the
infrastructure will aid in closing the area's digital gap by
allowing residents to easily tap into telehealth, online learning,
remote working, public safety communications, and an array of other
local government services. We're thrilled to partner with
Navajo County to deliver this
next-generation broadband infrastructure."
Navajo County received a
$9.7 million Rural Arizona Broadband
Development Grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority to provide
its residents and businesses with access to affordable, reliable,
high-speed internet. The $9.7 million
from this competitive grant will be combined with the $10 million already allocated by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors from ARPA
funds for a total $19.7 million
investment in broadband infrastructure.
"Access to reliable, high-speed internet is closely connected to
economic opportunity, especially in rural communities," said
Sandra Watson, President and CEO of
the Arizona Commerce Authority. "We are proud to support this
exciting milestone towards connecting more Arizonans in Navajo
Count and are grateful to Governor Hobbs for her leadership and all
our partners."
A groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 23 at the Navajo County Fairgrounds in
Holbrook, and the new dark fiber
is slated to be available in 2025. Navajo
County, located in Northern
Arizona, has approximately 108,000 residents and includes
portions of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Indian Reservation and the
White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation.
About Navajo County Government
With a workforce of
over 600 employees in various public service offices and
departments, Navajo County Government has five Supervisors over
five districts. As a county rich in cultural, geographical, and
historical diversity, Navajo
County takes great pride in the privilege of serving their
residents' civic needs, from health and public safety to education,
economy, emergency management, elections, and so much more. The
county covers 9,960 square miles and serves 48 communities, holding
a vision to continually enhance the quality of life in Navajo County by delivering excellence in
service and leadership.
About eX² Technology
eX² Technology is a Vivacity
company and a single source solution for those seeking to build,
scale or future proof their communications infrastructure. We
provide robust smart city, intelligent transportation, critical
infrastructure and private network solutions and services with
greater efficiency, less cost and a streamlined acquisition
process. eX² specializes in turnkey network design-build-maintain
services, network asset commercialization and assisting its
customers with unique project financing options.
For more information contact:
Grant Evans
Capital Projects Manager
Office: (928) 524-4110
grant.evans@navajocountyaz.gov
eX² media inquiries, please
contact:
Jaymie Scotto & Associates
(JSA)
pr@jsa.net
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SOURCE eX2 Technology LLC