Oglala Lakota Telecommunications announces $54.5M broadband expansion on Pine Ridge
Tribally owned OLT says construction starts this spring, with service launching in 2026 through NTIA fixed wireless and USDA ReConnect fiber-to-the-home projects
Oglala Lakota Telecommunications announced a $54.5 million investment to expand broadband access across the Pine Ridge Reservation, with construction scheduled to begin this spring and service launching in 2026, according to a company news release issued Feb. 23. The tribally owned provider said the expansion includes a $19.6 million NTIA Fixed Wireless Project supported by fiber optic backhaul and a $34.9 million Fiber-to-the-Home project funded through the USDA ReConnect Program.
The fiber project will serve Swett, Batesland, Denby, Wounded Knee, Manderson, Porcupine, Sharps Corner and the outskirts of Kyle, reaching about 4,137 people, 846 households, 13 businesses and nine community anchor institutions, according to the release. Petra Wilson, chairperson of the OLT Board of Directors, was quoted as saying the investment will “close the digital divide for nearly every unserved location on Pine Ridge.” Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, with service offerings launching in 2026, according to Jeff Little, vice president of the western region of Palmetto Engineering and Consulting LLC.
