Let's build Better Internet Together
Pre-Subscribe today!
Trico wants to bring cooperative values to high-speed internet service, and that starts with our Members! If Trico gets enough pre-subscriptions, then we will start offering fiber-to-the-home internet service.
For 80 years we have been energizing our Members’ lives and we are putting the power in our Members’ hands!
Our Member-Driven Fiber Program is simple:
- Pre-subscribe and choose a fiber internet package that works for you
- Track the pre-subscriptions in your neighborhood
- Encourage your neighbors and friends to pre-subscribe
If enough Members pre-subscribe we will launch Trico Fiber and bring fast, affordable, and reliable fiber internet to your home!
Wherever you live in the Trico community, we want you to pre-subscribe. The power is in your hands, to guide our next steps.
Learn more below and pre-subscribe today!
Why is Trico considering offering fiber internet?
Today, fast and reliable internet service is as important to education, healthcare, community connection, and economic growth as electricity. Trico sees fiber internet as a way to serve, connect, and empower communities throughout Southern Arizona.
Trico has asked its Members and there is strong demand for reliable, affordable fiber internet that comes with Trico’s excellent service. Surveys and focus groups were conducted and there was strong support for offering fiber internet. About 5,000 Members registered their interest in fiber internet. As a cooperative we respond to our Members’ needs and our focus is on serving our local community, we see this as an opportunity to provide a vital service and help the communities we serve.
What is the Member-Driven Fiber Internet Program?
Trico is using a pre-subscription model to determine whether to offer fiber-to-the-home internet service, where to offer that service, and when to start offering service. This puts the power in our Members’ hands to help guide Trico’s next steps.
Trico has split its service territory into about 170 zones. Each zone contains around 300 Members. Trico calculated a target “take-rate” in each zone that is based on the number of Members in the zone who would need to pre-subscribe to make building the required fiber-to-the-home system and offering internet service financially viable. As a cooperative we are not focused on making a profit, but we need to make sure any build is financially sound.
Trico will proceed with offering fiber internet services if two targets are met:
- Achieve the required take-rate in a sufficient number of zones where the total number of homes passed (passings) in those zones adds up to at least 10,000; and
- At least 30% of the zones that achieve their take-rate must be high-density zones.
The order of construction will not match exactly with the order that zones meet their take-rate. However, a zone that achieves its take-rate within the first 10,000 homes passed will be planned to be included in the first 12 months of Trico’s build.
Why is fiber internet better?
Fiber provides faster, more reliable internet speeds, with high bandwidth (the maximum amount of data that can be transferred at a given time). It also offers symmetrical service (same speed upload and download), so you can upload photos, videos, and large files just as efficiently as you can download files and stream your favorite movies and content. Other technologies have slower upload speeds and symmetrical service is increasingly important because many files created on our phones, computers, and devices are uploaded to cloud storage.
Fiber provides consistent performance because it is less susceptible than other technologies to the impact of electromagnetic interference and weather. It is also a future-proof, sustainable option because it is designed to meet future increases in data demand.
What is a zone?
Trico’s service area is split into about 170 zones, each with about 300 Members. Each zone must reach a target number of pre-subscriptions (called the “take-rate”) to qualify for fiber service. Some zones have a higher-density of residences and some zones have lower-density.
What is a high-density zone?
A zone with a higher number of homes (20+) per linear mile. The density of potential subscribers in these areas means it is more cost-effective to build a fiber network and offer fiber internet service. That is why at least 30% of the zones that meet their take-rate must be high density zones.
What is a Take-Rate?
It’s the percentage of Members in a zone who pre-subscribe to receive fiber internet service from Trico. Zones that meet or exceed the assigned take-rate become eligible for fiber construction. The required take-rate in each zone varies and is calculated based on the cost to build a fiber-to-the-home system in that zone.
When will fiber internet be available?
Depending on if and when the targets to proceed described in the Member-Driven Fiber Program are met, fiber-to-the-home internet service could begin as early as Summer 2026 in some areas.
The order of construction will not match exactly with the order that zones meet their take-rate. However, a zone that achieves its take-rate within the first 10,000 homes passed will be included in the first 12 months of Trico’s build.
What does pre-subscribing mean?
It means you are confirming to Trico that you want to receive fiber internet service if and when it becomes available. While there is no financial commitment required, we hope that you will stick with Trico through this process and subscribe for service when we hit the targets to proceed.
You can pre-subscribe online at:
or by visiting
www.trico.coop or the
SmartHub app
Is there a cost to pre-subscribe?
No. Pre-subscription is free. There’s no deposit required.
If Trico does offer fiber internet, how much will it cost?
We are developing pricing and packages designed to meet our Members’ need for reliable and affordable internet combined with excellent Trico service. Packages will include:
- “Streamers and Students” A 1Gb package at around $70 per month
- “Families and Gamers” A 2Gb package at around $85 per month
- “Business” An 8Gb package at around $145 per month
The price will include the equipment necessary to connect to the internet.
How would the installation process work at my home?
Connections can be made from overhead or underground fiber lines, depending on what is most practical in your neighborhood. Our technicians would bring fiber from the Fiber Backbone to a nearby pole or underground conduit, and then we would install what is called a “service drop” to your home. This “service drop” will connect a reliable, resilient fiber line into your house.
Then a Trico installer would assist you with installing a router and making sure your devices are connected to the internet.
How can I help?
- Pre-subscribe to confirm your interest
- Become a Trico Fiber Champion — help spread the word in your zone. You could earn gift cards and bill credits. For more information, contact [email protected]
- Direct your friends and neighbors to fiber.trico.coop
What is the Trico SmartGrid Fiber Backbone?
The Trico SmartGrid Fiber Backbone is a network of fiber-optic cables and devices that will connect Trico’s electric substations with high-speed fiber communications capabilities and allow Trico to start connecting electric grid coordination and control devices that will improve grid reliability and resilience. We chose to invest in fiber for our SmartGrid because it offers the highest speeds, excellent reliability, and secure communications.
There is extra bandwidth in in the fiber-optic cables that will connect Trico’s electric substations and devices, and this offers an opportunity to use this bandwidth to help make a fiber-to-the-home internet system more affordable. If Trico proceeds with offering fiber-to-the-home internet, the Trico Fiber division would pay the Trico Electric division for use of this fiber. This will reduce the cost of offering fiber internet and produce an income stream for Trico Electric, which will help to control electric costs. It is a win-win solution.
Construction of the Trico SmartGrid Fiber Backbone starts in 2025 and should be complete by Fall 2026. This project will be built regardless of whether Trico goes forward with offering fiber internet service.
Why offer fiber internet and not a wireless solution?
Fiber offers the best technology solution to provide cost-effective, reliable, secure, and fast internet service. It has the capacity to offer more bandwidth and capacity in the future as demand grows.
Key terms defined
- Zone: A local area with about 300 members.
- Passing: A home or business that could be connected to fiber.
- Take-Rate: The % of members in a zone who pre-subscribe.
- Low-Density Zone: 0-8 homes per linear mile. Density is based on linear mile (essentially the distance of fiber line that is needed to be built), not square mile.
- Medium-Density Zone: 9-20 homes per linear mile.
- High-Density Zone: 20+ homes per linear mile.
- Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH): A reliable fiber connection directly to your house, offering fast, reliable, symmetrical internet (same upload/download speeds).
- Pre-Subscription: A free way to show interest in fiber service and help decide where Trico will build its fiber internet network.
Will installing fiber cause damage to my yard or neighborhood?
Trico is committed to minimizing impacts on our Members’ properties and neighborhoods during installation of fiber lines.
Every neighborhood has unique characteristics that will affect the installation. Because of these differences, Trico will use a variety of techniques to install fiber lines. This may include installing line in existing open conduit, installing new conduit, micro-ducting in existing electric conduit, boring, direct bury, and plowing. Trico will strive to minimize impact and disturbance by tailoring practical solutions for each location and performing work (and any clean-up or restoration) promptly.
We have local crews that can respond quickly and, as always, we will prioritize our Members’ satisfaction and well-being.
Summary techniques that may be used to install fiber lines in your neighborhood:
- Use of Existing Conduit: Crews will dig small holes into the ground to locate existing, available conduit, and then install the fiber line in that conduit. Holes are typically small and will be filled in after the work is complete. The impact to the surface level ground is minimal.
- Installation of New Conduit and Fiber: A trench is dug, and conduit is installed. A fiber line is then installed in the conduit. The trench is filled in, and the area is cleaned and restored.
- Micro-Ducting: Crews will dig small holes into the ground to locate conduit that contains electric lines and then run small, flexible plastic micro-conduits that contain fiber lines inside the existing electric conduit. Holes are typically small and will be filled in after the work is complete. The impact to the surface level ground is minimal.
- Boring: A small hole is drilled horizontally at the installation location, conduit is pulled into the hole, and then a fiber line is pulled (or in some cases “blown”) into the conduit. Any surface disturbance is minimal and is restored when work is complete. This is typically the most expensive option, and will likely only be used where crossing major streets or where other circumstances require.
- Direct Bury: A trench is dug and the fiber line is placed directly in the trench without conduit installed, then backfilled. The fiber line itself is wrapped in strong, multi-layered protection and designed to resist damage. The work area is then cleaned and restored.
- Plowing: Is a method of installing underground fiber line or conduit by cutting a narrow groove in the soil with a blade (plow) and feeding the line or duct directly into the ground behind the blade — without excavating an open trench.