What NineStar Connect. does

NineStar Connect is the operating brand of Hancock Rural Telephone Corporation, a nonprofit member-owned cooperative utility serving East Central Indiana from its headquarters at 2243 East Main Street, Greenfield. Formed through the 2020 merger of Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Power, the cooperative delivers a bundled multi-utility portfolio — electric distribution, water and wastewater services, fiber-based broadband internet (up to 1 Gig with no data caps), voice/telephone, television, and managed IT services — to residential, agricultural, and business members across Hancock County and parts of Hamilton, Madison, and Rush counties.

The underlying technology stack centers on a fully redundant fiber-optic network with multi-server DNS infrastructure (IPv4 and IPv6), mass-market residential and commercial broadband up to 1 Gig, webmail services with 15GB storage per mailbox, and a local speed-test server. Supporting systems include the SmartHub customer portal, Security & SmartConnect home monitoring, bundled service packaging, and the NineStar Nerds technical support offering. Product roadmaps include scheduled network upgrades (DNS migration completing mid-2026) and ongoing expansion of fiber into previously unserved rural areas, partially funded through the Indiana Next Level Broadband Grant Program in partnership with Henry County REMC.

The business model is subscription-based recurring revenue across each utility vertical, with rates published per service category (electric rates effective January 2026, water/sewer rates effective May 2026) and promotional bundling across internet, electric, water/sewer, voice, TV, and IT services. Distribution is direct-to-member through local offices, online account management, and field operations, with growth supplemented by state grant funding for rural broadband buildout. Marketing emphasizes cooperative governance, community engagement, and local employment rather than profit maximization, with any excess revenues reinvested into infrastructure or returned to members rather than distributed to external shareholders.

Name

NineStar Connect.

Legal name

Hancock Rural Telephone Corporation d/b/a NineStar Connect

Website

https://ninestarconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NineStar Connect is a nonprofit member-owned cooperative utility based in Greenfield, Indiana, delivering electric, water/sewer, fiber broadband, voice, and IT services to residential, agricultural, and business members across Hancock County and parts of three neighboring Indiana counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Utility Cooperative Services

NAICS

Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Electric & Other Services Combined (4931), Electric Services (4911), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE), Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ), Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI)

Keywords

• Rural broadband internet
• Fiber optic services
• Electric distribution utility
• Water and wastewater services
• Cooperative utility services

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Energy Services: NineStar Connect provides electric energy distribution services to residential and farm customers. As a nonprofit cooperative, revenues are used to cover operating costs and reinvested into infrastructure rather than distributed to shareholders.
2. Water and Wastewater Services: Water and sewer utility services provided to members. Rates are determined according to rate schedules and governing documents. Water rates effective May 1, 2026 are published in rate schedule documents.
3. Internet/Broadband Services: High-speed internet services including fiber connectivity up to 1 Gig with no data caps. Mass market services for residential and commercial customers, plus enterprise-level custom services for business customers with individually tailored solutions.
4. Telephone/Voice Services: Communication connections and telephone services for residential customers. Long distance plans including 2000 minute plans with rated calls after allotted minutes. International calling available.
5. IT Support Services (NineStar Nerds): Technical support and IT services including computer setup, virus removal, network configuration, hardware/software upgrades, data migration, and cloud backup services. Billed per service with included tech hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NineStar Connect is a member-owned nonprofit cooperative that distributes electricity, water and wastewater, fiber-based broadband internet (up to 1 Gig with no data caps), voice telephone, and TV services to residential, agricultural, and business members across East Central Indiana. The cooperative also delivers managed IT and technical support services through its NineStar for Business and NineStar Nerds programs, and offers bundled utility packages under a single cooperative bill.

Product overview

NineStar Connect is a nonprofit utility cooperative offering a bundled portfolio of essential services including high-speed internet (up to 1 Gig with fiber availability), electric distribution, water and sewer utilities, voice/phone services, and TV/television services. The company also provides managed IT services for businesses, technical support through its NineStar Nerds program, security and smart home solutions (SmartConnect), and bundles for combined service packages. All services are delivered as a member-owned cooperative serving Hancock County and parts of Hamilton, Madison, and Rush counties in Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Internet Service High-speed internet service offering speeds up to 1 Gig with fiber availability and no data caps, available to residential and business customers across the cooperative service territory.
• Electric Service Electric distribution service for residential, farm, and business customers in the cooperative service territory, delivered under rate schedules effective January 1, 2026.
• Water & Sewer Service Water and wastewater utility services serving residential and commercial customers across the cooperative service territory, with published rate schedules effective May 1, 2026.
• Phone/Voice Service Voice telephone service for residential and business customers, with long-distance plans including Communication Connections and 2000 Minute options plus international calling.
• TV Service Television and cable services offered to residential customers with various channel packages.
• NineStar for Business Managed IT services including broadband, fully customizable solutions, and technical support for business customers operating within the cooperative service territory.
• NineStar Nerds Technical support and computer repair services offered by NineStar technicians, including PC setup, virus removal, network installation, hardware/software upgrades, data migration, and cloud backup, billed per service with included technician hours.
• Bundles Bundled service packages combining internet, electric, water/sewer, and other utilities at discounted rates for members seeking multiple services from a single cooperative provider.
• Security & SmartConnect Security and smart home monitoring solutions for residential customers of the cooperative.
• Water Heater Lease Program Rental program for water heaters offered as an additional subscription service option for residential members.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Henry County REMCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2020Joint project with Henry County REMC under the Indiana Next Level Broadband Grant Program. The project will serve 70 unserved rural households and 10 businesses with high-speed broadband. Total project cost of $556,478 with $361,711 grant funding and $194,767 local match.
• Peerless MidwestminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContracted to conduct 24-hour pump testing on high-capacity wells west of Spring Lake as part of NineStar's water operations. Testing performed with approval of Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
• BSidesBloomingtonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNineStar sponsors BSidesBloomington cybersecurity conference as part of its community engagement and technology seminar series.
• BSidesFortWayneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNineStar sponsors BSidesFortWayne cybersecurity conference as part of its community engagement and technology seminar series.
• BlueTeamConminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNineStar sponsors BlueTeamCon cybersecurity conference as part of its community engagement and technology seminar series.
• CircleCityConminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNineStar sponsors CircleCityCon cybersecurity conference as part of its community engagement and technology seminar series.
• State of Indiana / Indiana Office of Community and Rural AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministers the Next Level Broadband Grant Program, Indiana's largest single state investment in broadband. NineStar has partnered with the program and Henry County REMC to expand rural broadband access.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Comcast Xfinity: Major cable broadband and TV provider with Indiana footprint that may extend into NineStar's adjacent suburban areas (Hamilton County). Direct competitor for residential broadband and TV subscribers with significantly larger scale.
• Frontier Communications: Major rural-focused ILEC with significant Indiana wireline footprint. Direct competitor for residential voice and broadband in adjacent rural territories; comparable target market but investor-owned rather than cooperative.
• AT&T Indiana: Incumbent ILEC and wireless carrier with significant Indiana footprint overlapping NineStar's service territory. Competes in voice and broadband with much larger capital base but offers less community/cooperative engagement.

Direct peers

• Tipmont REMC: Indiana rural electric cooperative serving Tippecanoe and surrounding counties with fiber broadband subsidiary (Tipmont Wintek). Same cooperative structure, similar broadband-over-fiber strategy targeting rural Indiana members.
• Boone REMC: Indiana rural electric cooperative serving Boone and adjacent counties with fiber broadband (Boone REMC Fiber). Same electric cooperative + fiber ISP structure serving suburban-rural Indiana markets.
• Henry County REMC: Indiana rural electric cooperative serving Henry County and adjacent areas; existing grant partner with NineStar on Next Level Broadband. Comparable as a member-owned REMC expanding into fiber broadband across rural East Central Indiana.
• Jackson County REMC: Indiana rural electric cooperative with Jackson Connect fiber broadband service. Direct parallel to NineStar in structure (electric co-op + fiber ISP) and Indiana geography.
• South Central Indiana REMC (SCI REMC): Indiana rural electric cooperative serving Morgan, Owen, Monroe, Brown, Johnson counties with fiber-to-the-home expansion. Comparable cooperative model and broadband expansion trajectory within Indiana.
• Decatur County REMC: Indiana rural electric cooperative serving Decatur and adjacent counties. Comparable member-owned electric distribution with growing broadband services in rural southeast Indiana.

Emerging players

• Starlink (SpaceX): Satellite broadband service targeting exactly the rural, underserved markets NineStar serves via fiber. Threatens to commoditize rural broadband and pressure pricing without requiring cooperative franchise rights or fiber capex.

Market position

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ninestarconnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/NineStarConnect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ninestar-connect
• Instagraminstagram.com/ninestar_connect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 NineStar Connect.