CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Sacred Wind Communications, Inc. – New Mexico’s award-winning telecommunications and broadband service provider in rural northwestern New Mexico—along with area elected officials—met virtually to announce the first ever redundant fiber line between Gallup and Albuquerque. The project, which took four years to get right-of-way approval and only a few years to construct, will connect rural and tribal communities to remote learning opportunities, virtual medical appointments, and emergency services—all of which are essential, especially during a pandemic. It will also provide a wide array of economic development opportunities to the areas stretching from Gallup to Albuquerque, which have previously not had continuous, reliable internet service.
“As the pandemic kept people at home for work, school, doctor’s visits, and more, the ability to connect to the outside world became a more pressing necessity. During the last fifteen years, Sacred Wind has worked tirelessly to provide greater internet access for Navajo people in Northwest New Mexico and the completion of this fiber route could not have come at a better time,” said John Badal, CEO of Sacred Wind.
The idea to build a redundant fiber route between Gallup and Albuquerque, the first of its kind, began to take shape nine years ago. With more than four years invested in obtaining right-of-way permissions from various entities, including state, federal, private, and tribal landowners, most companies would have cut and run. Now completed, Sacred Wind’s investment in broadband infrastructure for rural and tribal communities will positively impact small town economies by providing dependable voice and internet connectivity.
“We are relieved to finally see this project completed,” added Badal. “It is incomprehensible that at least once a year, communities between Gallup and Albuquerque experience communications outages leaving them without any connection to the outside world. The completion of our redundant fiber line means citywide outages can now be considered a thing of the past.”
For more information on Sacred Wind, visit Sacred Wind. For video of the event, visit: https://vimeo.com/4977189 51/daa064fe91.
About Sacred Wind: Sacred Wind Communications, Inc. is a privately owned, New Mexico-based company, dedicated to improving telecommunications services to rural areas within New Mexico. Sacred Wind is an equal opportunity provider and employer.