Reported private LTE network for students at a tribal community college (Nebraska Indian Community College)

Overview

Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC), a tribal college with three campuses in northeast Nebraska, worked with Kajeet to build a private LTE network on 2.5 GHz spectrum it holds under an Educational Broadband Service (EBS) license, installing base stations on each campus and giving students connected devices, according to a Kajeet case study revised in March 2023.^[1] FCC records show NICC applied in May 2020 for 2.5 GHz licenses covering the Santee and Omaha reservations through the FCC's Rural Tribal Priority Window; the Santee application was granted in October 2020, and in October 2021 the FCC granted a waiver so the Omaha application could also cover the parts of the Bancroft-Rosalie School District just outside the reservation.^[2] The Kajeet case study does not say which license the network uses or when it launched.^[1]

At a glance

Organization

Nebraska Indian Community College, owned and controlled by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska.^[2]

Location

Northeast Nebraska, with base stations at each of NICC's three campuses.^[1] NICC keeps a campus on both the Omaha and Santee reservations.^[2]

Date reported

Kajeet's case study is dated March 2023.^[1] The network's launch date is not publicly stated.

Spectrum

2.5 GHz spectrum under an EBS license, according to Kajeet.^[1] The FCC has licensed NICC 2.5 GHz spectrum through its Rural Tribal Priority Window.^[2]

Technology

Private LTE, according to the case study, although the college president's quote in it refers to Kajeet Private 5G.^[1]

Scale as reported

Not publicly stated. Kajeet says base stations were installed on each campus but gives no counts of base stations, devices, or students served.^[1]

Vendors and roles

Kajeet: designed and built the network and supplied connected devices for students.^[1] The radio equipment maker is not named.

Related funding

An NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program award of $1,243,000 to NICC funds four new towers (three on the Santee Reservation, one in Bancroft) and lists enhancing the college's 2.5 GHz network among its outcomes; the NTIA page does not mention Kajeet.^[3]

Status

Not publicly stated. Kajeet's private wireless page still features the NICC story and says Heddian now designs, builds, and supports the networks,^[4] following a September 1, 2026 agreement for Heddian to take over Kajeet's private wireless deployment business.^[5]

How the network is used

• High-speed internet for students in rural areas where reliable broadband is not available.^[1]
• A range of connected devices issued to students to use the network.^[1]

Reported results

As reported by the sources below; not independently verified.

• Kajeet says NICC met its objective of enriching the learning experience. This is a vendor claim.^[1]
• In Kajeet's case study, NICC President Michael Oltrogge credits Kajeet's cost-effectiveness and fast deployment and says the partnership helped the college connect students who had been unconnected.^[1]

Timeline

1. Sep 1, 2026

   Kajeet and Heddian announce that Heddian will take over Kajeet's private wireless deployment business, including support for existing customers.^[5]

2. Mar 2023

   Revision date of Kajeet's NICC private LTE case study.^[1]

3. Oct 14, 2021

   The FCC grants NICC a waiver so its Omaha reservation application can also cover adjacent parts of the Bancroft-Rosalie School District, and directs staff to process the application.^[2]

4. Oct 21, 2020

   The FCC grants NICC's 2.5 GHz application for the Santee reservation.^[2]

5. May 11, 2020

   NICC files applications in the FCC's 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window for the Santee and Omaha reservations.^[2]