What MCSnet does

MCSnet is a privately held rural internet service provider operating across rural Alberta and parts of Western Saskatchewan. Founded in 1995 in St. Paul, Alberta, the company — legally organized as Lemalu Holdings Ltd — serves 25,000+ residential and small-business customers via a network of 500+ fixed wireless towers, gigabit-capable fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure in select communities, and its proprietary GigAir 60 GHz millimeter-wave fixed wireless technology, which the company describes as the largest such deployment globally. Its service portfolio is built on three core products — residential internet, business internet, and VoIP home phone — layered with managed Wi-Fi 6 customer-premises equipment (built on Mikrotik hardware) and a self-service mobile app (MCSnet My Account). Speeds reach up to 1,000 Mbps symmetric on all plans, and the network is engineered for Prairie winter extremes (-40°C) with redundant power and 24/7 monitoring.

MCSnet's revenue model is subscription-based, with monthly recurring internet service starting at $49.95 for residential customers and tiered up through Extreme and Unlimited plans; business plans carry higher ARPU and an Extreme Unlimited Pro tier with a next-business-day service guarantee. Complementary recurring streams include Wi-Fi 6 router rental (transitioned from lease-to-own on June 1, 2025), VoIP home phone, and pay-as-you-go service-call fees. Capital is supplemented by Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) and Alberta Broadband Fund (ABF) grants — most recently a $31M+ project to extend fiber to 3,401 premises across 30+ rural Alberta communities by March 2027.

The company employs 11-50 people, is led by a small executive team (Chief Operations Officer Heather Starosielski, Chief Marketing Officer Rhonda Lafrance, Chief Innovation Officer Mark Beland, Chief Project Officer Jerome VanBrabant), and operates go-to-market through a hybrid of direct-to-consumer online self-service, phone-based inside sales, municipal co-deployment partnerships, and community-led programs including the Community Connections free-internet initiative for non-profits, a high school scholarship program, and a multi-tier referral/ambassador ecosystem. The company is recognized as a top Alberta ISP in PCMag's 2025 "Northern Exposure" report.

Name

MCSnet

Legal name

Lemalu Holdings Ltd

Website

https://mcsnet.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MCSnet is a privately held rural internet service provider founded in 1995, serving 25,000+ residential and small-business customers across rural Alberta and Western Saskatchewan via a 500+ tower fixed wireless network, proprietary GigAir 60 GHz millimeter-wave technology, and gigabit fiber-to-the-home.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Broadband Internet Services

NAICS

Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural & Regional ISPs (HDAIADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential/Broadband ISPs (Consumer Internet) (HDAIADAA), Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ)

Keywords

• Rural internet services
• Fixed wireless broadband
• Fiber to the home
• Voip home phone
• Wifi router rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential internet subscriptions: Monthly recurring internet service subscriptions for rural households, with tiered plans (Parked, light, standard, Extreme, Unlimited) including data caps or unlimited options, billed monthly. Residential plans start at $49.95/month.
2. Business internet subscriptions: Monthly recurring internet service subscriptions targeted at rural businesses, with dedicated business plans, transit fiber, and higher service-level commitments including the Extreme Unlimited Pro next-business-day guarantee.
3. Wi-Fi router rental / hardware leasing: Router rental program (in effect from June 1, 2025): MCSnet-owned Wi-Fi 6 routers are rented to subscribers on a recurring basis. Prior to that, routers were offered as a 24-month lease-to-own at $4.95 + GST/month, with the device becoming customer property at the end of 24 payments.
4. VoIP home phone service: Recurring home phone service with long-distance calling plans and 911 dialing capabilities, delivered as VoIP over the broadband connection.
5. Service call / overage fees: One-time fees for service calls due to customer damage/error/neglect ($75 per hour minimum charge of $75), $500 minimum service fee for sending unsolicited email, and various overage/overuse charges.
6. Government broadband infrastructure funding (grants): Capital receipts from the Universal Broadband Fund (federal) and Alberta Broadband Fund (provincial) to fund the build-out of fiber optic networks to underserved rural communities; $31M+ project cost covering 3,401 homes and businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

MCSnet provides high-speed broadband internet, VoIP home phone, and managed Wi-Fi router services to rural households, businesses, and communities across Alberta and Western Saskatchewan. Its network is delivered through fixed wireless, Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), and its proprietary GigAir 60 GHz millimeter-wave technology, backed by a private fiber optic backbone connecting 500+ towers.

Product overview

MCSnet operates a single integrated rural connectivity portfolio rather than a multi-module SaaS platform: a physical broadband network (Fiber-to-the-Home, legacy Fixed Wireless, and the newer GigAir millimeter-wave service) delivers Residential Internet and Business Internet as the core products, while Home Phone (VoIP), Wi-Fi 6 Managed Routers, Transit Fiber, Community Connections public Wi-Fi hotspots, the My Account mobile app, and Webmail are layered on as add-ons, wholesale services, or self-service modules around that underlying network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GigAir: MCSnet's high-speed fixed wireless internet technology (millimeter wave 60 GHz) that delivers gigabit-class speeds to rural homes and businesses.
• Fiber to the Home (FTTH)

Products and services

• MCSnet Residential Internet Residential high-speed internet service delivered via fixed wireless, FTTH, and GigAir 60 GHz millimeter-wave to rural Alberta and Western Saskatchewan households, with tiered plans and transparent flat-rate monthly pricing.
• MCSnet Business Internet Business-grade broadband service for rural businesses and farms, including dedicated transit fiber, GigAir, and the Extreme Unlimited Pro next-business-day service guarantee.
• MCSnet Home Phone (VoIP) VoIP home phone service with 911 dialing and long-distance plans, delivered as a managed add-on to MCSnet broadband connections.
• Wi-Fi 6 Managed Router (Rental) Customized MikroTik-powered Wi-Fi 6 customer premises equipment, rented to subscribers (effective June 1, 2025) to deliver whole-home wireless coverage with in-app traffic monitoring via the MCSnet My Account app.
• GigAir Fixed Wireless MCSnet's proprietary 60 GHz millimeter-wave fixed wireless internet service, used to extend gigabit-class speeds to rural premises that fall outside the FTTH build footprint.
• Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Gigabit-capable passive optical fiber internet service delivered directly to rural Alberta homes and businesses, with an ONT at the premises and symmetric speeds up to 1000 Mbps.
• Fixed Wireless Internet Point-to-multipoint fixed wireless broadband that has historically been MCSnet's primary rural access technology, supplemented by newer GigAir and FTTH deployments.
• MCSnet My Account App Self-service mobile app (iOS and Android) that allows customers to monitor live traffic, identify data-hogging devices, manage billing, and pair with MCSnet Wi-Fi 6 routers.
• Transit Fiber Wholesale long-haul and backhaul fiber capacity offered to carriers and ISPs across MCSnet's Alberta fiber footprint.
• Community Connections (Public Wi-Fi Hotspots) Free public Wi-Fi hotspot deployments at non-profit venues across rural Alberta, part of the Community Connections community connectivity program.
• MCSnet Webmail Web-based email service provided to MCSnet subscribers as a bundled utility on their internet accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ rural customers served across Alberta and Western Saskatchewan
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• County of BarrheadcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMunicipal partnership announced to enhance rural broadband in the County of Barrhead. MCSnet partners with the county to expand fiber and high-speed internet services to residents and businesses in the region.
• FortisAlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to expand gigabit internet access in rural Alberta. The collaboration leverages FortisAlberta's existing infrastructure (utility poles/rights-of-way) to accelerate MCSnet's rural fiber and broadband buildout.
• CANWISPminorOthersIndustry association whose stakeholder group MCSnet consulted with while developing its Accessibility Plan. CANWISP represents Canadian wireless internet service providers.
• Google WorkspacecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform used across MCSnet for internal operations; staff receive communications and training on Google Workspace's accessibility features as part of MCSnet's accessibility program.
• MikrotikcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHardware vendor whose routers MCSnet modifies and optimizes to operate on its network. MCSnet co-promotes Mikrotik technical content (videos) and offers customized Mikrotik Wi-Fi 6 routers to subscribers.
• 4-H AlbertaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMCSnet is a Bronze Clover Sponsor of 4-H Alberta, supporting youth leadership in agriculture; jointly runs the Agri-Tale Contest for 4-H members.
• Métis CrossingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-marketing partnership showcased in the award-winning ACE Award video 'Connecting the World to Northeastern Alberta,' celebrating the Métis Crossing cultural destination and MCSnet's connectivity services in the region.
• Village of Smoky Lake (Municipal Partnership)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMunicipal partnership that brought high-speed internet to Smoky Lake; formal channel relationship enabling community-wide fiber/broadband service delivery through the town.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Xplornet Communications: Canada's largest rural-focused fixed wireless and satellite broadband provider, directly competing with MCSnet for rural households and businesses across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and other provinces. Closest comparable on product (fixed wireless + satellite hybrid), customer (rural residential/SMB), and go-to-market model.
• CCI Wireless: Alberta-based rural wireless ISP serving underserved communities across the province with fixed wireless broadband, now part of the Xplornet family. Closely comparable to MCSnet on technology (fixed wireless), geography (Alberta), and customer (rural residential/SMB).

Emerging players

• Starlink (SpaceX): LEO satellite broadband service targeting the exact same rural Canadian households MCSnet serves, with no tower-line-of-sight requirement. Represents the most credible emerging threat to MCSnet's rural fixed wireless and even fiber economics over the next 3-5 years.
• Viasat: Satellite broadband provider (legacy geostationary and forthcoming ViaSat-3 LEO/spot-beam capacity) targeting rural North American households, including Western Canada. Competes with MCSnet's fixed wireless on coverage of remote premises and on price-sensitive rural ARPU.

Broad incumbents

• TELUS: Major Canadian incumbent telecom operating wireline, wireless, and rural broadband programs (including PureFibre and TELUS PureFibre Rural initiative) across Alberta. Competes indirectly with MCSnet on fiber-to-the-home and on grant-funded rural builds in the same Alberta footprint.
• Bell Canada: Largest Canadian incumbent telecom with national wireline footprint, FTTH rollouts, and rural broadband investment programs. Competes with MCSnet at the residential/SMB level in overlapping rural Alberta corridors and is a comparable large-scale bidder for UBF-funded projects.
• Rogers Communications (incl. Shaw): Canadian incumbent telecom that absorbed Shaw's Western Canadian cable/broadband footprint, expanding Rogers' presence in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Competes with MCSnet on residential internet and bundles in the same rural-to-suburban corridor.
• Distributel Communications: Independent Canadian ISP providing residential and business internet, TV, and home phone across multiple provinces on a wholesale-network basis. Comparable to MCSnet as a non-incumbent ISP competing for residential/SMB broadband customers in Canada.
• TekSavvy Solutions: Independent Canadian ISP reselling wholesale cable, DSL, and fixed wireless across Canada. Comparable to MCSnet as a non-incumbent retail ISP competing on price and customer service rather than owned infrastructure.

Regional players

• SaskTel: Crown corporation providing wireline, wireless, and broadband across Saskatchewan, including rural and remote areas. Directly competes with MCSnet in the Western Saskatchewan portion of MCSnet's service territory and is a comparable provincial-scale ISP peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MCSnetAB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mcsnet1995
• Facebookfacebook.com/mcsnet.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcsnet
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcsnet.ca
• TikToktiktok.com/@mcsnet.ca

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MCSnet