NOVEMBER 26, 2018, LISMORE, MINN. – Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company has joined a network of broadband providers to create better and more affordable network connectivity and Internet services for regional businesses.
The network includes six Minnesota telephone companies, an Iowa provider and Sioux Falls, SD based SDN Communications. Lismore Coop Telephone was invited to join the network, which started interconnecting independent Minnesota telephone companies in 2014. That network covers much of the southern third of Minnesota and managing partner, SDN Communications, has 45,000 miles of fiber covering South Dakota.
Lismore Coop Telephone General Manager Bill Loonan knew of SDN Communications’ reputation and has had positive business dealings with SDN on wireless tower and school connectivity in Lismore’s service territory. “For Lismore to be part of SDN and its partners’ network gives Lismore a broader reach to help local businesses connect with their locations outside our service territory,” Loonan says.
Lismore Coop Board President Darwin Veld says, “We’ve been aggressive in fiber-to-the home builds in our territory, and now connecting our advanced network into this partner network is good for our coop and also our customers and businesses.”
Christensen Communications of Madelia is also joining the network. The agreement will require fiber construction to interconnect the two companies to the other members. Once complete, that connectivity will be sold by SDN and will benefit businesses with multiple office locations.
SDN Communications CEO Mark Shlanta says banks are a good example of an industry that benefits when independent telephone companies interconnect networks. “Banks have a home office and branch locations into other territories and need to share electronic data among all locations. When they can do that on one provider network, such as SDN and its partners, it not only becomes more affordable but easier for their IT staff to manage.”
Large carriers, such as AT&T, Verizon and other wireless telephone providers, similarly look for providers who can carry data traffic long distances on one, interconnected network.
The other network partners (and headquarters) include:
1. AcenTek (Houston, MN, BEVCOMM (Blue Earth, MN), Communications 1 Network (Kanawha, IA), Jaguar Communications (Le Sueur, MN), KMTelecom (Kasson, MN), NU-Telecom (New Ulm, MN), SDN Communications (Sioux Falls, SD), Woodstock Telephone (Ruthton, MN)
