The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, alongside Nazlini Chapter leaders and community members, recently celebrated the new Nazlini communications tower, which closes another digital divide on the 27,000 square mile Navajo Nation.
The NTUA Communications team collaborated with local leaders to improve broadband services, cellular service and high-speed internet. The new tower is expected to strengthen communication for residents and students, enhance emergency response capabilities, and provide broadband access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. The Nazlini community had been working on this project for more than 10 years.
This initiative is part of a larger journey that began in 2010 with a multi-million dollar grant to enhance internet access across the Navajo Nation by constructing a 550-mile fiber backbone.
“Once the backbone infrastructure was put into place – NTUA continued moving forward to extend the signal to allow isolated communities to receive access to the internet through broadband,” said Brian Thomason, NTUA Deputy General Manager for Communications Systems. “Cutting the ribbon is another successful example of NTUA’s mission is to be a positive catalyst for the delivery of critical utilities to Navajo Nation.”
The Nazlini tower represents a significant step in expanding critical utility services and improving connectivity in underserved areas, NTUA noted.
