Chicago, ILL – November 2, 2026 – eX² Technology, a network infrastructure development, deployment, and commercialization company, today announced the completion of the Navajo County middle-mile fiber network, a more than 100-mile open-access, dark fiber infrastructure project spanning Northeastern Arizona. With construction now complete, the network is fully operational, delivering on the commitment made at the project's April 2024 groundbreaking, attended by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, community members, and local, state, and national leaders.
The network gives Navajo County the broadband capacity to support municipal fiber, telehealth, education, and Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) service for homes and businesses. It also interconnects with existing regional fiber networks and lays the groundwork for future connections to Phoenix, neighboring counties and tribal networks, and an I-40 corridor expansion to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
eX² Technology designed and built the project on behalf of Navajo County, funded through a $19.7 million combined investment from the Rural Arizona Broadband Development Grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and the Navajo County Board of Supervisors from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
With construction complete, eX² Technology transitions into its role as Navajo County's Operations, Maintenance, and Commercialization (OM&C) partner, responsible for the network's long-term performance, reliability, and monetization. As the County's commercialization partner, eX² will market and offer conduit, dark fiber, wireless and other wireline assets on a competitively neutral basis to those seeking to expand service throughout the region.
The network's completion follows earlier momentum in commercializing the route, including a 20-year dark fiber Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) agreement executed with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) in April 2026, which leverages the full 106-mile route.
“For carriers and service providers, growth starts with access to the right infrastructure,” said Jay Jorgensen, Chief Operating Officer of eX² Technology. “Navajo County’s completed network brings 106 miles of open-access dark fiber to Northeastern Arizona, giving providers a foundation to extend their reach and connect more communities. With a 20-year IRU agreement already secured across the full route, we’re seeing that opportunity translate into commercial commitment. Our long-term operations, maintenance and commercialization role supports both reliable network performance and competitively neutral access for providers ready to expand.”
Organizations interested in accessing dark fiber along the Navajo County middle-mile route or exploring partnership opportunities across eX²'s growing Southwest footprint are encouraged to visit https://ex2technology.com/navajo-county.
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About eX² Technology
Guided by its commitment to Excellence in Execution®, eX² Technology is a network infrastructure development, deployment, and commercialization partner that helps public and private organizations originate, advance, operate and maximize the value of communications infrastructure. By integrating strategy, design, construction, maintenance and asset monetization services, eX² accelerates network deployment, reduces execution risk and helps its customers transform fiber-to-the-home, middle-mile and long-haul network infrastructure investments into valuable long-term business and community assets.