Quinault Indian Nation Announces New Business Venture Named Toptana Technologies

TAHOLAH, WA - October 26, 2022 - The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) today announced the launch of Toptana Technologies, the first indigenous-owned cable landing station and backhaul network provider on the West Coast of the United States. This new venture will bring connectivity to unserved and under-served markets across Washington State and Oregon, including the QIN community who remains vastly behind in the digital divide, and extending to surrounding communities, rural areas and other tribal groups.

New subsea cables have not landed in the State of Washington for over 20 years, and the declining existing infrastructure has been a widespread concern for the greater region, particularly as global internet demand continues to surge. Without the infrastructure of additional subsea cables to power a direct source, expanding access to high speed internet in the region is a nearly impossible task. According to the Federal Communications Commission, 97% of Americans living in urban areas have access to high-speed internet compared to 65% in rural areas and 60% on tribal lands. This limits access to important goods and services, such as online learning, telemedicine, job and e-commerce opportunities, workforce development initiatives, and emergency response services. In an effort to address both the urgent need for subsea cables and the demand for expanded internet access in the region, various feasibility studies had been done on Washington State’s coast in prior years. In spite of the underlying need and widely understood potential, time after time, these ventures were deemed infeasible. This presented a unique opportunity for the Quinault Indian Nation to engage.

“QIN saw a great opportunity and conducted our own feasibility study for a cable landing station on our nearly 30-miles of coastline and surrounding coastal property locations,” said Tyson Johnston, Head of Development for Toptana Technologies and former Quinault Indian Nation Vice President. “With careful consideration of environmental resources and concern for the fishing industry, we determined that QIN territory was a highly feasible landing point and one which uniquely overcame the challenges previously identified. In late 2019, the process began to find industry partners to bring this project to life that could balance technological progress, continued advancement towards a sustainable economy, stewardship of land and waters, and make a positive impact for the next seven generations.”

Toptana Technologies will provide diverse, transpacific network capacity from the Pacific Northwest to Asia-Pacific and Oceania markets, while enabling network access from the Coast to the I-5 corridor with onward connectivity to Seattle, and Hillsboro, Oregon. In addition to open and neutral connectivity that delivers highly reliable, available and secure connectivity, Toptana’s fiber optic network will have minimal disruption to the community and the environment with 100% of the terrestrial network existing underground. The cable landing station will support four subsea cable customers at launch, with the capacity to expand up to 16 customers over time, while offering the option of 100% renewable power. Designed to Tier III specifications and 100% uptime standards, Toptana will offer new route diversity to the Asia-Pacific and Oceania markets while helping to deliver digital equality and connectivity for all.

“Toptana Technologies will greatly support tribal and non-tribal communities’ ability to access key digital resources at industry standards found in other communities that are increasingly required for healthcare, economic development, education, employment, and more,” said Guy Capoeman, Quinault Indian Nation President. “We envision a world where connectivity powers endless possibilities to advance quality of life while preserving stories and traditions for generations to come. Toptana presents this opportunity for QIN to help lead our community forward towards a world where the digital divide simply does not exist.”

Companies and governments have attempted to bridge the digital divide in the past, with initiatives such as wifi-equipped buses, internet-equipped hot air balloons, and computer donation programs, but have only advanced short-term, limited-solutions. The need for more far-reaching initiatives has remained unmet. The goal of closing the gap is further incentivized by the potential of its longer term economic impact – according to a study commissioned by Amazon Web Services and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the increased access to digital tools could add $116.7 million to annual wages and add nearly 2,500 jobs per year in Washington State alone.

“Toptana Technologies presents a sustainable, environmentally-conscious and socially responsible pathway to address the market demand for transpacific subsea and terrestrial connectivity in the northwest, while improving the lives of millions that seek greater connectivity and advancing possibilities that honor the sovereignty of the QIN people,” said Daniel Ebling, Head of Finance, Toptana Technologies and Acting Chief Financial Officer, Quinault Indian Nation.  

Construction of the cable landing station will begin in mid-to-late 2023, and is expected to be operational in 2025. Assured Communications was selected to be the primary operations service provider and facilitator of sales and industry partnerships. A Board of Directors will be announced later this year. To learn more about Toptana Technologies, please visit www.toptanatech.com

Quinault Indian Nation Media Contact
Tyson Johnston
press@quinault.org

About The Quinault Indian Nation
The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) is a sovereign Indian Nation covering approximately 210,000 acres of rich and diverse landscape, including 27 contiguous miles of coastline, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Its population consists of the Quinault and Queets tribes and descendants of five other coastal tribes: Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz, QIN is self-governed through a series of by-laws ratified in 1922 and a constitution approved in 1975.

QIN operates a variety of businesses and joint ventures to support a thriving, self-sustaining economy. It is the goal of QIN to continue what its people have done for generations – respectfully managing the resources that sustain their community and those around it. They remain committed to honoring their proud past while embracing modern principles, such as investments in technology, to bring prosperity to their people – both now and for future generations.

For more information, visit: www.quinaultindiannation.com.

About Toptana Technologies
Toptana is driven by a vision of a truly connected world. We’re an indigenous-owned internet infrastructure and technology company focused on bringing connectivity to unserved and under-served communities. Our mission is to connect the digitally disconnected so that all people can fully participate in the digital economy.

Our Washington State cable landing station offers subsea transpacific connectivity from the U.S. to Asia-Pacific markets. The backhaul network offers terrestrial connectivity along the I-5 corridor to Seattle, WA and Hillsboro, OR. We offer businesses the opportunity to get their traffic where it needs to go, while protecting our precious resources and improving the lives of those in need.