Vertical: Utilities
Application: Outage response, real-time infrastructure monitoring, advanced energy technology integration
Ecosystem: Anterix
Private Network: LTE
Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP), a subsidiary of TXNM Energy serving more than 280,000 homes and businesses across Texas and New Mexico, has signed a 900 MHz spectrum sale agreement with Anterix (NASDAQ: ATEX), the Woodland Park, New Jersey-based company that positions itself as the leading provider of mission-critical private wireless broadband spectrum for the utility sector. The deal will allow TNMP to build a private wireless network dedicated to grid operations — one that the utility will own and control, rather than sharing bandwidth on a public carrier network.
The investment is a central element of TNMP’s 2025-2027 System Resiliency Plan. The network is intended to accelerate outage response times, enable real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure, and lay the groundwork for integrating advanced energy technologies as the grid continues to evolve. TNMP President Neal Walker spelled out the utility’s motivation: “Our customers depend on us for reliable power every day, and that responsibility is the driving force behind our 2025-2027 System Resiliency Plan. By deploying Anterix’s private wireless network, we are gaining the secure, utility-controlled communications needed to achieve faster outage response and real-time monitoring of our most critical infrastructure. This proven platform provides an immediate, cost-efficient solution that allows us to scale as our customers’ needs evolve, ensuring we can seamlessly integrate advanced energy technologies and deliver smarter, more dependable service to the communities we serve.”
For Anterix, the agreement deepens what is becoming a notable concentration of 900 MHz deployments inside Texas. TNMP joins LCRA, Oncor, Xcel Energy, and CPS Energy as Texas utilities that have committed to utility-controlled private wireless communications. Collectively, nine utilities across 15 states now operate on Anterix’s 900 MHz platform — a footprint the company argues demonstrates that its spectrum is the only utility-focused network built to deliver both measurable operational results today and a clear path toward 5G capabilities tomorrow. Anterix President and CEO Scott Lang framed the momentum this way: “Utilities need secure, flexible solutions that work today, and by welcoming TNMP to the ranks of nine leading utilities already on this platform, we are reinforcing that 900 MHz is the proven national choice. This agreement reflects the clear market momentum toward a solution that is available now, scalable to any use case, and offers a cost-to-value ratio that makes sense for the modern grid. By joining fellow Texas utilities in this collective move, TNMP is choosing a de-risked path to grid modernization.”
The choice of a private network rather than a commercial alternative carries real strategic weight. Anterix has emphasized that its platform is available in the market now, offering utilities a cost-to-value proposition built on a proven, standards-based ecosystem. For a utility like TNMP, deploying on an established platform reduces the operational and financial risks that come with less mature alternatives, and provides a secure, scalable foundation capable of handling any utility use case that emerges down the line.
Before the network goes live, Anterix must clear interference with incumbent 900 MHz users in TNMP’s service territory and obtain broadband licenses from the Federal Communications Commission — steps the company has acknowledged carry some timing uncertainty.
