Sac and Fox Nation Principal Chief Randle Carter addresses attendees of the Future of Rural Broadband Showcase
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. - Centranet and Sac and Fox Nation announced that Centranet, a subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative, has become the first company to demonstrate a 50Gbps fiber internet connection for a tribal nation in Oklahoma. The live commercial trial, using Nokia’s Lightspan fiber solution, allowed Centranet to connect a pilot member of the Sac and Fox nation to one of the fastest residential internet speeds available globally. This marks a significant milestone for the company and its ability to close the digital divide for rural and Indigenous communities.
The groundbreaking connection was unveiled at the Future of Rural Broadband Showcase, underscoring the company’s commitment to delivering world-class broadband technology to historically unserved tribal and rural regions. This is the first live commercial trial of 50G PON technology in a tribal nation, demonstrating how Nokia's fiber access platform can be used to provide future-proof broadband access to communities of all sizes and densities. This technology showcases the scalability of Fiber to the Home technology and emphasizes the innovation that rural electric cooperatives bring to rural America.
Using Nokia’s Lightspan MF fiber solution, Centranet can provide current subscribers with multi-gigabit speeds today, along with future 50G PON services needed for online education, remote work, telehealth and digital services essential in the modern era.
The $35.8 Million project is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under its Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. Sac and Fox Nation and Centranet broke ground on the first of four projects under this program on August 9, 2024. All projects are expected to be complete by 2026.
Randle Carter, Principal Chief, Sac and Fox Nation, said: “We pursued this grant to enhance the availability and the viability for our tribal members to access fiber optic opportunities, not just now, but in the future.”
"At Centranet, we are deeply committed to investing in the future the communities we serve," said Mark Prather, President of Fiber and Technology. "Centranet has deployed 3,300 miles of fiber in north-central Oklahoma in the past three years. Bringing high-speed broadband to the Sac and Fox Nation, as well as other tribes and underserved areas has been a priority for us. This project is about more than just technology—it's about ensuring that everyone in our community has the tools and opportunities they need to thrive in today's digital world."
Mark Klimek Vice President, North American Business Center at Nokia said: “Our fiber platform supports a full range of PON technologies, allowing them to be mixed and matched on the same platform to deliver ultra-fast, reliable internet services over a single fiber. This is critical for those who want to future-proof their fiber network and gain the flexibility to address evolving network demands. By partnering with Centranet, we are ensuring that every community, especially those who have been underserved for far too long, can access the opportunities that cutting-edge technology provides, now and for generations to come.”