Saddleback Completes Fiber Internet Build to All SRPMIC Homes

By Dodie Manuel

Saddleback Communications, an enterprise of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, announced that it has completed its Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment, bringing high-speed internet access up to 500Mbps to all Community-member homes*. The network upgrade, 10 years in the making, is timely as Community members are increasingly reliant on reliable internet connections to enable work from home, online learning and telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We made a big push to complete the fiber network buildout so that all Community members could benefit from high-speed internet at this critical time,” said Bill Bryant, president of Saddleback Communications. “Faster internet is more important today than ever before, because physical-distancing guidelines require students to attend school online and telecommuters to work from home. In addition, Community members who don’t want to risk infection are visiting the doctor via video calls on their computers, tablets or mobile phones.”

Bryant credits Saddleback’s accomplishment to the foresight of the SRPMIC Council, particularly former President Ivan Makil, who spearheaded the formation of Saddleback Communications in 1998 by acquiring the aging copper network from US West and later urging the Council to invest in upgrading it to high-speed fiber.

“SRPMIC leaders have long understood that the social and economic well-being of the Community is tied directly to infrastructure investment, such as telecommunications networks,” said Bryant. “As a result, the Community is well prepared—perhaps more so than other areas—to meet the challenges of an increasingly digital world. Although the Community could not have foreseen the current pandemic, its vision has given SRPMIC access to vital information services.”

Saddleback now offers SRPMIC residents FiberSpeed internet services with guaranteed speeds ranging from 15Mbps to 500Mbps. Unlike other internet services, FiberSpeed internet provides a dedicated connection that is not shared with other users or oversubscribed, so it delivers full bandwidth to the subscriber.

“FiberSpeed meets the needs of Community members whether they have one or multiple connected phones, tablets or computers, or they have multiple family members and devices,” said Mike Edl, vice president of customer service and operations for Saddleback. “It’s dependable for online work and school, as well as for streaming video and online gaming.”

FiberSpeed 250Mbps and 500Mbps plans include Managed Wi-Fi services, which help residents who use multiple devices to manage their home Wi-Fi networks. If their internet slows down, for example, Saddleback technicians can remotely monitor their internet router to determine the cause of the slowdown and help the customer resolve it.

FiberSpeed is available on a month-to-month, pay-as-you-go plan with no early termination fees. Subscribers also can save by bundling FiberSpeed internet and ClearVoice phone services. Plus, Community members qualify for a $25 monthly credit on their FiberSpeed bill from SRPMIC. For more information about the credit, call the SRPMIC Household Computer Program at (480) 362-7740.

FiberSpeed is installed and serviced by local tech experts who only serve the Community. Saddleback has initiated strict health and safety guidelines for FiberSpeed installers that protect Community members and Saddleback staff alike.