Smart Communications
Smart Communications provides integrated inmate communication technology—including inmate phones, patented postal mail elimination, tablets, kiosks, video visitation, electronic messaging, and education—to approximately 150 correctional facilities across 25+ U.S. states under a zero-cost platform model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSeminole, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Smart Communications does
Smart Communications Holding, Inc., founded in 2009 as a family-owned business, is a private provider of inmate communication technology headquartered in Seminole, Florida. The company built the SmartEcosystem™, an all-in-one platform that integrates SmartEvo™ inmate telephone, MailGuard® patented postal mail elimination, SmartInmate™ electronic messaging, SmartVisit™ video visitation, SmartEd™ education, digital request/grievance/medical forms, commissary hosting, and a law library, all delivered through SmartTablet™ and SmartKiosk™ hardware. MailGuard® is protected by U.S. Patent No. 10,291,617 (issued May 2019) and additional pending applications dating to 2015; the system processes inmate postal mail off-site into high-definition electronic color copies to eliminate contraband and generate searchable investigative intelligence.
The company's business model is freemium-to-usage: hardware, software, installation, training, and maintenance are provided at zero cost to correctional facilities, with revenue generated through per-minute and per-message fees paid by inmates and their families. Pricing includes phone calls at $0.19/min (reduced from $0.75/min), video visitation at $0.15/min, electronic messaging at $0.50 per message after two free weekly, and premium entertainment at $0.01/min. Smart Communications sells primarily through direct enterprise sales to Sheriff's Offices, Police Departments, Departments of Corrections, County Jails, and Courts via multi-year contracts (e.g., a 5-year Jackson County deal paying $300K/year commission back to the agency), and reaches inmate end-users through self-service portals (SmartInmate.com, MailGuardTracker.com). The company serves approximately 150 correctional facilities across 25+ U.S. states.
On November 30, 2024, Smart Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reporting assets of approximately $5.4 million and citing increased competition, patent-related litigation, and family-related disputes. The company has no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and remains family-owned under founder/CEO Jonathan Logan, who is credited as inventor of the MailGuard® system.
Smart Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smart Communications
- Legal name
- Smart Communications Holding, Inc.
- Website
- https://smartcommunications.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Smart Communications provides integrated inmate communication technology—including inmate phones, patented postal mail elimination, tablets, kiosks, video visitation, electronic messaging, and education—to approximately 150 correctional facilities across 25+ U.S. states under a zero-cost platform model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smart Communications industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Correctional Communications Software
- NAICS
- Correctional Institutions (922140), Telecommunications (517)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Correctional Food, Commissary & Inmate Services (Managed Services) (BPAKANAI)
Keywords
Where Smart Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seminole
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smart Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Inmate Phone Call Revenue: Per-minute fees for inmate telephone calls. The company charges per-minute rates for calls made on inmate tablets or traditional phones. Historical rates of $0.75/min reduced to $0.19/min under new contracts. Also returns 100% of phone commission revenue to agency (as of 2018).
- Video Visitation Fees: Per-minute charges for video visitation sessions. At $0.15/min for video visitation. Self-scheduling and remote visit capabilities generate consumption-based revenue.
- Electronic Messaging: Free tier of 2 weekly messages per inmate; charges $0.50 per additional message. Consumption-based revenue model for messaging volume beyond free allocation.
- Premium Entertainment Streaming: Basic entertainment content is free; premium entertainment streams at $0.01/min. Upsell opportunity from free to paid tier.
- Commissary Hosting: Hosts third-party commissary vendor menus on Smart Communications hardware. Revenue model unclear but provides integration ecosystem value and may generate hosting/partnership revenue.
- Agency Commissions: Pays commissions to correctional agencies - $300,000 per year for 5-year Jackson County contract. Cost offset by per-minute fees, messaging, and entertainment revenue from inmates/families.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Standard Platform - Free for facilities |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Inmate Phone Calls - $0.19/min |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Video Visitation - $0.15/min |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Electronic Messaging - 2 free/week, then $0.50/msg |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Entertainment - $0.01/min |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Smart Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smart Communications sells an all-in-one inmate communication platform (SmartEcosystem™) to correctional facilities, integrating inmate telephone calling (SmartEvo™), patented postal mail digitization and contraband elimination (MailGuard®), electronic messaging (SmartInmate™), video visitation (SmartVisit™), inmate education (SmartEd™), and digital request/grievance forms, delivered through SmartTablet™ and SmartKiosk™ hardware provided at zero cost to facilities. Revenue is generated from per-minute usage fees (phone, video visitation), per-message charges for electronic messaging beyond a free allocation, and premium entertainment streaming from inmates and their families.
Product overview
Smart Communications offers the SmartEcosystem™, a unified platform-plus-modules architecture for correctional facility communications. The core platform integrates SmartEvo™ (inmate calling with investigative tools), MailGuard® (patented postal mail elimination), SmartInmate™ (electronic messaging with keyword monitoring), SmartVisit™ (video visitation), SmartEd™ (education), and Digital Request/Grievance Forms, delivered through SmartTablet™ and SmartKiosk™ hardware—all provided at zero cost to facilities. Supplementary features include VMX™ voicemail, Law Library access, Photo Delivery, and Commissary Hosting. The company acquired the longest-running inmate calling platform in 2018 to strengthen its SmartEvo™ offering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SmartEcosystem™ Unified Inmate Communication Platform The all-in-one inmate communication platform integrating phones, tablets, kiosks, visitation, postal mail processing, electronic messaging, educational resources, inmate entertainment, law library, and commissary hosting on a single unified system, provided at zero cost to correctional facilities and sold under multi-year enterprise contracts.
- SmartEvo™ Inmate Telephone System Industry-leading inmate calling platform with advanced investigative capabilities including voice biometrics, flexible account management (PrePaid Collect and PIN Debit), VMX™ voice exchange voicemail service, and supports calls from both SmartTablet™ devices and traditional wall-mount phones, with 100% US-based customer service and technical support; sold to correctional agencies on multi-year contracts at $0.19/min.
- MailGuard® Postal Mail Elimination Patented off-site postal mail processing service that converts inmate postal mail into high-definition electronic color copies delivered via tablets and kiosks; eliminates contraband (drugs, weapons, poisons), generates a searchable investigative intelligence database, and removes dangerous staff exposure to mail-borne substances; provided free with the SmartEcosystem™ platform to correctional agencies.
- SmartTablet™ and SmartKiosk™ Hardware Platform Inmate tablet and facility-based kiosk hardware that delivers electronic communications, education, entertainment, mail viewing, video visitation, messaging, requests, grievances, medical forms, commissary ordering, and law library access; provided free to correctional facilities independent of any phone or commissary contract, with complete data network and electrical infrastructure installed at no cost.
- SmartInmate™ Electronic Messaging System Email-like electronic messaging system designed specifically for correctional facilities, featuring automatic keyword monitoring chosen by investigators, full-text message searchability, and highlighted search results; free tier of 2 messages per week per inmate, then $0.50 per additional message; used by agencies to solve and prevent crimes.
- SmartVisit™ Video Visitation Platform Video visitation platform enabling self-scheduling for both onsite and remote inmate visits through SmartTablet™ or SmartKiosk™, eliminating inmate movement requirements for visitation while providing flexibility and automation for correctional agencies; charges $0.15 per minute.
- SmartEd™ Inmate Education Platform Free inmate education, rehabilitation, and reentry platform providing GED, vocational, court-ordered, self-help, spiritual, religious, and behavioral courses with content management and inmate reward options; turn-key, customizable to each agency's needs; proven to reduce recidivism and improve inmate behavior.
- Digital Request/Grievance/Medical Forms Platform Advanced, fully customizable electronic form submission platform for inmate requests, grievances, and medical forms that automates workflows, centrally tracks requests and responses with status visibility, and tailors workflows to each specific department's policies without vendor assistance; eliminates paper shuffling across facilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% reduction in phone call rates from $0.75/min to $0.19/min for Jackson County Jail
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Smart Communications
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Smart Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
Smart Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smart Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smart Communications social profiles
Digital presenceSmart Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smart Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Smart Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smart Communications M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smart Communications
What does Smart Communications do?
Smart Communications sells an all-in-one inmate communication platform (SmartEcosystem™) to correctional facilities, integrating inmate telephone calling (SmartEvo™), patented postal mail digitization and contraband elimination (MailGuard®), electronic messaging (SmartInmate™), video visitation (SmartVisit™), inmate education (SmartEd™), and digital request/grievance forms, delivered through SmartTablet™ and SmartKiosk™ hardware provided at zero cost to facilities. Revenue is generated from per-minute usage fees (phone, video visitation), per-message charges for electronic messaging beyond a free allocation, and premium entertainment streaming from inmates and their families.
Is Smart Communications a public or private company?
Smart Communications is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Smart Communications founded?
Smart Communications was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Smart Communications based?
Smart Communications is headquartered in Seminole, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smart Communications make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Inmate Phone Call Revenue is the primary driver. The others are video Visitation Fees, electronic Messaging, premium Entertainment Streaming, commissary Hosting and agency Commissions.
Does Smart Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smart Communications.
What industry is Smart Communications in?
Smart Communications's product category is Correctional Communications Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKANAI, Correctional Food, Commissary & Inmate Services (Managed Services). Its NAICS code is 922140 and its SIC code is 4813.