What MIDTEL does

MIDTEL (legal name: The Middleburgh Telephone Company) is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned rural telecommunications company founded in 1897 in Middleburgh, New York. It serves more than 7,000 residential and business customers across 330 square miles of Schoharie County and parts of Albany County through a Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network spanning 600+ newly built fiber miles, supplemented by legacy DSL and copper infrastructure. Core products include direct fiber internet (residential up to 450Mbps, business up to 500Mbps, with speeds marketed up to 1Gbps), digital cable TV with TiVo and Motorola DVRs, hosted VoIP/PRI/SIP trunking phone systems, managed backup, web hosting, and colocation through its INOC Datacenters subsidiary (SSAE 16 SOC 2 audited). MIDTEL also co-owns the 2,300-mile Independent Optical Network (ION) with 12 other rural New York Telcos.

The company operates a subscription-based recurring revenue model with monthly billing across individual consumers and SMBs, plus one-time installation fees ranging from $50 to $2,000. Residential and business triple-play bundles are the anchor SKUs at $183.90–$265.90/month and $236.90–$296.90/month respectively, with a layered add-on ecosystem (mesh Wi-Fi extenders, managed backup, voicemail tiers, premium movie channels). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via phone sales (518.827.5211 / 877.827.5211), online service applications, walk-in service at the Middleburgh headquarters, and community/event partnerships such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend. Funding is heavily grant-subsidized: $15.5M+ in New NY Broadband Program grants combined with private capital, plus downstream participation in the $40M ION ARRA fiber build.

Operationally, MIDTEL has been awarded three rounds of NYS Broadband grants (2016, 2017, 2018), acquired Newport Telephone Company in 2016, and jointly acquired Proline CATV & Construction in 2021. The Becker family — currently Jim Becker (President) and Jason Becker (EVP/GM) — has led the company since 1948, with Randall F. Becker serving as President/GM from 1973 until 2006. Subsumed brands include MIDTEL NET, MIDTEL CABLE TV, MTLD long distance, Geoport Seamless Communications, and Newport Telephone Company.

Name

MIDTEL

Legal name

The Middleburgh Telephone Company

Website

https://midtel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MIDTEL (The Middleburgh Telephone Company) is a family-owned rural ILEC founded in 1897 that delivers fiber internet, cable TV, voice, and data center services to 7,000+ residential and business customers across Schoharie and Albany Counties, New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal & Community Broadband ISPs (HDAIADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Municipal & Community Broadband Networks (HDAIACAE)

Keywords

• Fiber optic internet
• Rural broadband
• Cable television
• Hosted VoIP
• Telephone services

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Fiber Internet Services: Monthly subscription fees for fiber internet packages ranging from basic internet-only plans to bundled triple-play packages including phone and cable TV. Pricing ranges from $69.95 to $265.90 per month depending on speed tier and bundled services.
2. Business Fiber Services: Monthly subscription fees for business fiber packages including internet, cable TV, and phone combinations. Pricing ranges from $79.95 to $296.90 per month for various business tiers.
3. DSL Internet Services: Digital Subscriber Line internet service using existing telephone lines, with bundled and standalone options ranging from $55.95 to $107 per month.
4. Local Phone Service: Traditional landline telephone service at $23/month for both residential and business customers, with additional custom calling features and voicemail available.
5. Long Distance Services: Domestic and international long distance calling with various rate plans including basic per-minute rates, monthly plans (300 minutes for $8.99), and unlimited plans ($24.99 residential / $49.99 business per month).
6. Cable TV Services: Digital cable television with over 200 channels, premium movie channels (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, STARZ), HD DVR service, and TiVo whole-home DVR options.
7. Managed Backup Services: Business data backup and disaster recovery services at $12.95-$19.95 per month for critical business machine backup and server/workstation protection.
8. Web Hosting Services: Domain registration, email hosting, and web hosting services starting at $12.95/month for combined email and web hosting packages.
9. Installation Fees: One-time installation charges for fiber/copper drop services, ranging from $50 for new service with existing drop to $99-$2000 for new aerial or buried installations based on distance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MIDTEL provides telecommunications services to residential and business customers in Schoharie County and parts of Albany County, New York. Its core offerings include fiber-to-the-home internet (up to 450Mbps residential / 500Mbps business), digital cable TV with DVR, traditional and hosted VoIP phone service, DSL internet, web hosting, and managed data backup. Through its INOC Data Centers subsidiary, the company also delivers enterprise colocation, hosting, and cloud solutions from SSAE 16 SOC 2 audited facilities.

Product overview

MIDTEL is a telecommunications company offering a multi-service portfolio across four core product categories: Fiber (Direct Fiber-to-the-Home and Business packages with speeds up to 500Mbps), Internet (DSL and web hosting), TV (Digital Cable with TiVo/Motorola DVR, Watch TV Everywhere streaming), and Phone (Local, Long Distance, Voicemail, Custom Calling Features, and Hosted PBX). The company also operates INOC Data Centers as a subsidiary providing colocation and cloud services. Key differentiators include bundled triple-play packages combining phone, TV, and internet, fiber optic infrastructure with 600 miles of new network construction, and hosted VoIP phone systems for businesses. Additional offerings include Managed Backup, Mesh Wireless Extenders, and Lifeline assistance programs. Established in 1897, MIDTEL serves over 7,000 customers in Schoharie County and parts of Albany County, New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MIDTEL NET: Local Internet access services subsidiary providing DSL and fiber internet to Schoharie County and parts of Albany County
• MIDTEL CABLE TV
• MTLD (Middleburgh Telephone Long Distance)
• INOC Datacenters
• Geoport Seamless Communications, Inc.
• ION (Independent Optical Network)

Products and services

• Residential Fiber Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• Speeds up to 1Gbps available through fiber network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Baseball Hall of Fame & MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014MIDTEL provides critical fiber-based broadband and Wi-Fi services for the annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in Cooperstown. Services include communications infrastructure, media/streaming support, point-of-sale systems for 30,000+ attendees, and connectivity for 400+ credentialed media representatives.
• Schoharie CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partnership for public WiFi initiatives and community connectivity projects
• SEEC (Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corporation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal economic development organization partnering on community WiFi and infrastructure projects
• Village of MiddleburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for downtown public WiFi installation and community connectivity initiatives
• Independent Optical Network (ION)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIDTEL is one of ION's largest investors. ION is a 2,300+ mile fiber optic network formed by 13 rural NY telecommunications companies, connecting NYC to Buffalo and beyond.
• Delhi Telephone CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ION network and joint acquisition of Proline CATV & Construction
• Margaretville Telephone CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ION network and joint acquisition of Proline CATV & Construction
• Newport Telephone Company (NTC)minorOthersAcquired by MIDTEL in 2016, located in Newport, NY providing voice and broadband services in Herkimer County and parts of Hamilton County

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Consolidated Communications: Large-scale rural and small-market fiber/DSL/cable/voice provider across 20+ states; broader incumbent offering overlapping services (residential fiber, business voice, hosted PBX) into markets adjacent to MIDTEL's territory.
• Frontier Communications: Major fiber/DSL/voice provider with significant upstate NY and rural footprint; competes for the same residential broadband customers and offers enterprise services overlapping with MIDTEL's hosted PBX and business fiber.
• Spectrum (Charter Communications): National cable broadband, TV, and voice provider with overlapping cable TV and broadband offerings in the broader Albany/upstate NY region; sets the competitive benchmark for channel lineups and bundle pricing.
• Verizon Fios: National fiber-to-the-home provider of internet, TV, and phone; competing benchmark for FTTH speeds, pricing tiers, and triple-play packaging relevant to MIDTEL's fiber expansion strategy.

Direct peers

• Empire Access: Regional fiber/cable/phone operator serving rural and small-town NY and northern PA with FTTH internet, TV, and voice — directly comparable product portfolio and rural fiber expansion playbook to MIDTEL.
• TDS Telecom: Public rural ILEC operating fiber internet, TV, and phone services across 30+ states with similar small-town customer profile; comparable in rural FTTH strategy and bundled residential service model.
• Margaretville Telephone Company: Direct peer and ION network partner; another rural NY independent telephone company that jointly acquired Proline with MIDTEL. Same regulatory status, similar rural broadband and triple-play product mix.
• Delhi Telephone Company: Direct peer and ION network partner; fellow rural NY independent telco that co-acquired Proline CATV & Construction with MIDTEL in 2021. Comparable in scale, customer base, and rural FTTH deployment model.

Emerging players

• Starlink (SpaceX): Satellite broadband service from SpaceX aggressively targeting rural and underserved customers in MIDTEL's exact Schoharie/Albany County service territory; represents the principal emerging threat to residential broadband ARPU.

Others

• Crown Castle Fiber: Independent fiber infrastructure and small-cell provider operating in adjacent upstate NY markets; comparable as a fiber network operator, though not a direct retail ISP competitor to MIDTEL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/midtel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3075430
• Instagraminstagram.com/midtel1897
• Xx.com/midtel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 MIDTEL