- Est. July 6, 1988
About GRTI
Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. — community-owned, community-focused, connecting the Gila River Indian Community for over 35 years.
- The Past
From Neglect to Independence
Prior to 1988, US West served the Gila River Indian Community, yet only 10% of the community had telephone service and party lines were typical. The infrastructure was decades old and in poor condition. Those without service were quoted rates starting as high as $10,000 just to establish a phone line — a matter of life and death in emergency situations.
It was in the 1980s that the Gila River Community Council took on the task of establishing a telephone company. On July 6, 1988, GRTI was established. GRTI purchased the infrastructure from US West and dug away at the task of upgrading the network throughout Gila River.
1988
Year GRTI was established
10%
Coverage before GRTI
100%
Coverage today
65
Employees, 65%+ community members
80%
Service coverage
3,350
Total lines
- The Present
Growing with Our Community
Today GRTI employs 65 employees with over 65% being community members. Telephone service has jumped from 10% to 80% with the ability to serve 100% of the community and a total of 3,350 lines. Residential customers also enjoy DSL services.
GRTI is busy upgrading Gila River residential communities with Fiber-To-The-Home for services of the future. The present GRTI network is capable of providing the same services as the larger companies to any business, large or small.
- Est. July 6, 1988
Our Network
We are pleased to provide you service on our dependable network built with your needs in mind.
Electric power 8-hour battery backup plus 2 generators
HVAC — closed loop chilled water plant with redundant systems
Raised floor throughout the building for air, power & data cable distribution
Co-location space with protected 120vac or −48vdc
Controlled access and video surveillance
- Cellular Partnership
A Winning Lottery
In the early years, GRTI entered a cellular lottery for the Arizona RSA-5 along with 5 other companies. GRTI was selected from the lottery pool and became a 25% cellular owner of Pinal and Gila counties, including I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson. The RSA-5 was the beginning of what is now a successful partnership with Verizon Wireless.
GRTI Affiliates
GRTI’s family of companies extends our mission of connectivity, literacy, and community service.
Native Technology Solutions
Founded 2006
NTS provides PBX Business Phone Systems, Structured Cabling Systems, Paging Systems & Sound Reinforcement, Access Control & Intrusion Detection, and Video Surveillance.
Gila River Broadcasting Corporation
First aired 2015
GRBC is the first Low Power Television station operating in Indian Country with both English and O’odham language programming on high definition channels 19 and 29.
Alluvion Communications
GRTI Subsidiary
Utilizing resources from GRTI, Alluvion Communications offers wholesale and advanced retail services and a fully redundant, survivable route for the Community’s communications outside Gila River.
Digital Connect Initiative
Founded 2018
Born from the GRTI Board’s recognition of the need to promote Digital Literacy, provide training, and embrace technology as a resource for digital heritage preservation.
Questions About GRTI?
Reach out to our team — we’re proud to serve the Gila River Indian Community.