Case Study: City of Isleton

The Challenge

Isleton is a remote town located along the Sacramento River in west Sacramento County. Previous attempts by other Internet providers to deliver cable or fiber Internet to the community were hindered by the region’s high water tables and other unique geographical issues. Due to this, Isleton residents’ only Internet options were DSL or satellite, both of which were extremely limited. For residents, the lack of reliable broadband meant limited access to online commerce, remote employment opportunities, and basic digital services, effectively isolating the city and hindering economic growth. This situation starkly contrasted with California’s mandate for improved digital equity.

The unWired Solution

To address this connectivity crisis, unWired fostered strong relationships with key stakeholders, including city management and staff, the city council, and the Valley Vision consortium. These collaborations ultimately secured a location on city-owned property for a tower. To address the challenges posed by water tables and flood zones, unWired implemented specific construction requirements and navigated the necessary permitting processes. The Isleton tower is equipped with Tarana Wireless 3 GHz licensed and 6 GHz technology, offering a combination of wide coverage and high speeds.

The Impact

Thanks to Tarana Wireless, the entire community now has access to Internet speeds up to 400 Mbps, improving quality of life for the municipality and private citizens alike.
For the Isleton Fire Department, reliable Internet access has streamlined operations, enabling prompt call responses and timely report completion, significantly enhancing public safety. City Hall now functions efficiently, and residents have access to online commerce and remote employment opportunities, boosting the local economy and fulfilling the state’s digital equity mandate. The success of the Isleton project serves as a model for other rural communities struggling with similar connectivity challenges, demonstrating the potential for public-private partnerships to bridge the digital divide across the state.

Testimonials

“unWired has proven to be the best internet provider we’ve ever had at the Isleton Fire Department. Over the years, we’ve used several providers, including Frontier and Verizon, but none have matched the performance and reliability of unWired.” – Michael Groves, Firefighter Engineer, Isleton Fire Department

“It takes a private company with a long-term vision and short-term successes to partner with local Government to address a community problem as great as this. unWired has proven to be a company of distinction, suitable to achieve local success stories like Isleton’s. Isleton stands ready to do whatever we can to help our success with unWired Broadband to scale across all similar localities in California, and they are numerous.” – David Kent, Vice Mayor, City of Isleton