October 30, 2025 – Tradewinds Networks, Inc., a leader in private community broadband and AI-driven cybersecurity, today announced it has been named the winner of the 2025 Mobile Breakthrough Award for Social Impact, recognizing its groundbreaking Owner-Hosted Community Network (OHCN) model and GuardTower zero-noise cybersecurity platform for delivering measurable digital equity and secure connectivity.

The Mobile Breakthrough Awards, one of the mobile industry’s most prestigious global honors, celebrates companies driving innovation in 5G, broadband, IoT, and social impact. Tradewinds Networks was selected for its transformational role in connecting underserved communities through privately financed community-owned broadband ecosystems – built without reliance on government subsidies.

“Tradewinds Networks is building what incumbents won’t and what rivals can’t,” said John Santoyo, CEO of Tradewinds Networks. “While BEAD stops at the city limit and the ACP program is no longer a viable option, Tradewinds’ privately financed model is expanding secure connectivity, creating jobs, and generating wealth where it’s needed most.”

Investing in Innovation, Sustainability, and Human Ingenuity - Breaking the Dependency Cycle and Driving Private Innovation Where Commercial and Federal Programs Fail

The 2025 Mobile Breakthrough Award comes amid a dramatic realignment in the broadband landscape:

• The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) expired June 1, 2024, leaving millions of Americans disconnected, including low-income, seniors, veterans and students.   
• The BEAD program, once promoted as a universal broadband solution, has stalled at city boundaries and slowed by regulatory red tape.
• Commercial Broadband Providers lack the incentive and business model to deploy better services in some communities

Tradewinds Networks has rewritten that playbook. Its Owner-Hosted Community Network (OHCN) empowers property owners, municipalities, and anchor institutions to jointly own and monetize their broadband infrastructure—transforming passive consumers into digital asset owners.

Each OHCN node integrates:

• Dell Technologies edge compute PowerEdge XR8000 ruggedized modular servers,
• Intel-optimized Xeon processors designed to accelerate AI/ML processing at the edge of TNI’s Private Networks,
• Crown Castle private infrastructure backhaul, and
• GuardTower deception-driven, zero-noise cybersecurity, providing 99.97% uptime, sub–1-second threat detection, and 10–15% local revenue share—without a single federal dollar.
• Workforce development via a 10-15% local revenue share designed to ensure network support, community engagement, and network sustainability,

Opportunity Zone Funds and Impact Investors Take Note

The Tradewinds Networks model is tailor-made for Opportunity Zone (OZ) funds, impact investors, and ESG-aligned portfolios seeking measurable, asset-backed social returns. 

Tradewinds delivers:

• Deployments beyond city limits into rural and economically distressed tracts ignored by BEAD.
• Verifiable financial returns via community-owned broadband networks with transparent, audited KPIs.
• ESG and UN SDG alignment across SDGs 7, 9, 11, and 13, satisfying institutional sustainability mandates.
• Mitigated political and compliance risk through 100% private financing—no BEAD, no ACP, no dependency.

“The Mobile Breakthrough Award validates what investors already see,” said Colin Hamill, TNI’s VP of Security Solutions. “Tradewinds is the future of equitable infrastructure—privately financed, public partnerships, and enterprise-secured.”

Smart Cities and Fortune 1000 Partnerships

Through active collaborations with Dell Technologies, Intel, and Crown Castle, Tradewinds Networks is powering the next generation of smart cities, smart buildings, universities, and enterprise campuses across the U.S. and abroad.

Each deployment combines AI-driven edge computing, GuardTower deception-based cybersecurity, and renewable-powered micro-nodes to enable:

• Local control and data sovereignty for cities and universities.
• Zero-dwell-time, zero-noise threat detection.
• High-speed, low-latency coverage for residents, small businesses, and public services.
• Scalable investment vehicles for Opportunity Zone funds, family offices, and impact capital targeting verified digital infrastructure yields.

Tradewinds’ success confirms a paradigm shift: private innovation now leads the broadband revolution.