It never hurts to get more gigahertz.
The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida’s broadband service, Tidal Network, will build a 5G cell tower at 3-Mile this winter for its wireless internet service. Eventually, Tidal Network plans to build a second tower on the island, but plans are not finalized, said Tidal Network Director Chris Cropley.
These projects all come on the back of a $50 million federal grant as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. In total, Tidal Network will build over 20 towers in 20 Southeast communities where internet access is flagged as underserved or unserved.
According to Tidal Network, 17% of Wrangell’s population falls into one of these two categories. Tidal’s pricing will come in at around $75 to $100 per month. As of right now, installation will be free.
Tidal Network is not hunting profits with this endeavor.
“Our goal is to provide low-cost broadband to folks where they may not have access,” Cropley said.
The reason Tidal Network’s costs will be low is largely in part because the federal grant will cover installation of all 20 or so towers. Cropley hopes Tidal Network’s revenue stream will cover maintenance costs.
On average, each cell tower installation will cost $500,000.
Cropley described cell towers as a vertical strip mall. One company owns the tower while others — such as cell phone service providers — lease space for their own antennas on the structure. Therefore, the company that owns it might have high upfront costs but tends to save money in the long haul.
Tidal’s current plan is to construct two towers of its own, and to lease space on two other towers, one of which is located in town and the other by Shoemaker Bay.
The first steel tower is planned for this winter on an upland parcel of private property, three lots back from the highway.
Tlingit & Haida initially entered the tower business in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many services and industries became reliant on accessible internet access.
“COVID showed us how important broadband was for services like education and health care,” Cropley said.
The Central Council’s initial solution was a pair of portable cell towers. Also known as COWS (cells on wheels), these towers allowed Tidal Network greater flexibility for providing internet access due to their portability.
The portable towers are nothing more than a Band-Aid, Cropley said, a temporary solution to broadband issues that the new cell towers would permanently alleviate.
Currently, Tidal Network stores its pop-up, portable cell towers in Wrangell. These towers can be moved off the island, depending on varying demand for broadband. For example, if a greater need for broadband pops up in Ketchikan, Tidal Network may temporarily move these portable towers there.
But if the COWS are a Band-Aid, the new 5G towers are a plaster cast, a permanent solution for communities without adequate internet access.
The towers are permitted to be as tall as 150 feet, though Cropley estimates the tower at 3-Mile will be around 120 feet. Tidal Network contracted with a national cell tower company for installation.
Because Tidal Network is building a tower in a new location, there are environmental checks that need to be completed before construction can begin. Cropley does not foresee any issues, and he expects the environmental sign-off to be complete by November.
The steel tower will be shipped to Wrangell by barge, and the assembly process will likely be complete within a month of arrival, Cropley said.
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