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Why Now?
This locks out education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Traditional providers have avoided these communities for decades, citing high costs, challenging terrain, and an inability to provide service without disrupting sacred lands. Without action, these gaps will only widen.
The government recently allocated $65B to expand broadband infrastructure nationwide. The focus? Rural, Tribal, and remote areas – prioritizing solutions that create long-term jobs and ownership for the communities. The exact reason Native Connections was built.
Why Us?
Our proprietary technology’s use of data pipelines solves the critical “last-mile” challenge, connecting homes without disturbing land or needing massive towers. Unlike traditional methods, it flexibly relays high-speed internet across cliffs, mountains, and rivers. Best of all? Every new connection strengthens the network.
Native Connections trains and employs Tribal citizens to build, operate, and eventually own their broadband networks. By creating lasting jobs, skills, and digital independence, we are closing the digital divide and setting the citizens and communities up for long-term success.
With Partners In Place to Launch and Scale
Native Connections has already established the strategic network needed to begin operations.
Partnerships:
Working with Sicangu Co., the Rosebud community’s economic development engine, to ensure Tribal alignment and long-term success.
Technology:
We leverage patented technology from proven partners like Mage Networks, painlessly solving the last-mile challenge.
Leadership
Deployment and training led by Sisso El-Hamamsy, PhD – a broadband innovator with 51 patents.
MagiNet™ Provides the “Last-Mile” Answer
Traditional broadband technologies weren’t built for scattered, remote communities. And it shows. Here's how Native Connections’ use of data pipelines stacks up to current capabilites.
How Rosebud Sets the Stage
Starting with our first deployment on Rosebud, Native Connections is executing a phased plan to build scalable broadband networks, proving the model in Tribal communities before expanding nationwide.
Phase 1
Training & Hiring
Launch workforce training through Sinte Gleska University, creating 5-6 full-time jobs.
Phase 2
Manufacturing & Deployment
Launch local manufacturing and strategically deploy network nodes – creating a repeatable model to quickly and cost-effectively connect underserved communities.
Phase 3
Network Management & Scaling
Build localized teams to operate and maintain networks, ensuring every new deployment is managed by the communities they serve.
Phase 4
Advanced Engineering & Expansion
Optimize performance and begin scaling across 574 Tribal Nations and thousands of rural communities nationwide.
Trusted Leaders With Proven Expertise
Our leadership team brings decades of experience across broadband technology, Tribal community development, communications, and public policy – combining technical expertise with deep mission alignment.
An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Mr. Semans is the visionary who created the plan to deliver affordable, high-speed “last mile” broadband to his Tribe and others like them with the creation of the Center of Excellence for Broadband Deployment..
During the Covid pandemic, OJ personally witnessed the extreme hardships facing his fellow Tribal members because they were unable to connect to the rest of the world for educational, health care related, job security, and personal needs.
Barb Semans and OJ have spent decades fighting for Native American voting and civil rights. OJ is an expert on the real needs of Native Americans. Barb and OJ have received honorary doctorates from Clairmont Graduate University for their research on Native American rights and their decades of work.
Semans is the Executive Director of the Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT), representing the largest land-based Tribes in the continental U.S. and with associate member Tribes in Canada. In this position, OJ is intimately involved in all aspects of Tribal life, including the need for affordable high-speed broadband.
Sayed-Amr (Sisso) El-Hamamsy, PhD., will lead the building of the Center of Excellence for Broadband Deployment as part of the Native Connections team. A larger management team made up primarily of Rosebud Tribal members will be formed and grown under his leadership.
Dr. El-Hamamsy received his PhD from the Californial Institure of Technology (Caltech) in 1986. He worked at the GE Corporate Research and Development Center for 15 years in the areas of Lighting, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Enterprise Software. His accomplishments included CompactFluorescent Lamps, Electrodeless Lighting, Cardiac MRI, Quiet MRI, and the OpenSpeed™ MRI.
From 2001 to 2005 he worked at Wi-LAN (now QuarterHill, NASDAQ: QTRH) as COO then as President and CEO. Under his guidance Wi-LAN became a founding member of the WiMAX Forum, changed the US FCC regulations in the 2.4GHz band which enabled the introduction of WiFi 802.11g products, and was the leader in developing the standard for future broadband wireless access.
Sisso was an early advocate for mobile broadband communications and helped convince the industry (including Samsung, Intel and LG) to move in that direction. After he left Wi-LAN he co-founded SRD Innovations (later Quattro Innovations) which developed the hyMesh™ technology for the Oil and Gas Industry. He developed the revolutionary MagiNet™ network concept which is a keystone of Native Connections and the project on Rosebud.
Dr. El-Hamamsy has numerous publications and has received 47 US patents.
Donna Brandis is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Executive Director of Four Directions Native Vote, the voting rights organization founded by Barb and OJ Semans, Sr.
Donna represents the young Tribal Members who will be most impacted by the development of the Center of Excellence for Broadband Deployment. She is an expert in communications strategies and team building, making her a critical component of the plans envisioned by Semans and Dr. El-Hamamsy.
Donna is the brand representative for Native Connections and plays a key role in the development of its capital campaign.
A former Vice President and key member of the public policy team for Verizon, Inc., Jeff Kramer brings the knowledge and industry contacts essential to the development of the high-speed broadband technologies necessary to help OJ’s vision be realized.
During his time in the Verizon Washington, DC office, Jeff was instrumental in advancing the needs of the disabled to access modern communications technologies. Jeff is utilizing the lessons learned at Verizon to make Native Connections a cutting edge company that meets the needs of Tribal members on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and elsewhere.