CNI (Com Net, Inc.)

What CNI (Com Net, Inc.) does

CNI (Com Net, Inc.) is a privately held regional fiber and managed telecommunications services operator headquartered in Wapakoneta, Ohio, founded in 1993. The company owns more than 6,000 route miles of fiber across 31 Ohio counties, 3 southeastern Michigan counties, and 6 eastern Indiana counties, runs a 3,000+ mile 30-node 100G DWDM ring, and operates 40+ carrier points of presence including a PoP at Equinix Chicago. Its product portfolio spans consumer-adjacent and enterprise offerings: fiber internet, 24/7/365 call center support, a continuously staffed Network Operations Center (NOC), CALEA Trusted Third Party compliance services, Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) streaming video, and carrier-grade services including DWDM wavelengths, Ethernet Transport Service (ETS), and GigE+ Fiber Optic Network interconnecting 35+ broadband providers. Across its portfolio the company also provides ancillary services such as IPTV, Linux server management, virtual machine management, and AAA billing integration.

CNI serves two principal customer bases: end-customer verticals (enterprise, healthcare, government, education, municipal/community) and wholesale customers (telecommunications carriers and Internet Service Providers). Revenue is generated through a mix of monthly recurring service charges (fiber internet, NOC, call center, ETS bandwidth), non-recurring installation and construction charges, and time-and-materials professional services billed at $75/hr during activation and $120/hr post-activation, with contract terms from month-to-month up to 60 months and most pricing set on an Individual Case Basis. Distribution combines direct consultative enterprise sales with channel leverage through the Indatel national network (400,000+ miles, 40,000+ buildings), and a recently launched CNI Insights customer portal built with LB Networks on the OcularIP platform expands self-service capabilities. Operating economics are anchored by long-tenured leadership (CEO Aaron Holtz and COO/CFO David Frey each with 25+ years tenure), a 24/7/365 NOC that has been continuously staffed since 1997, and operational guarantees including 4-hour or better MTTR on fiber cuts and sub-25ms latency on Ethernet Native LAN Service.

Name

CNI (Com Net, Inc.)

Legal name

Com Net, Inc.

Website

https://cniteam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CNI is a privately held Wapakoneta, Ohio-based regional fiber and managed telecom services operator owning 6,000+ route miles across Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. It delivers fiber internet, 24/7 NOC and call center support, CALEA compliance, ABR streaming, and carrier wholesale services to enterprises, healthcare, government, education, ISPs, and carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carrier Interconnection & Peering Exchanges (IXPs, private interconnect, cross-connect) (HDAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Fiber optic network services
• Business telecommunications
• Carrier ethernet transport
• Managed network operations
• CALEA compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wapakoneta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monthly Recurring Charges (MRC): Recurring monthly charges for services including fiber internet, network operations, call center support, and transport services. Billed monthly following the calendar month with pro-rated first month charges plus next month's service in advance.
2. Non-Recurring Charges (NRC): One-time charges for service installation, construction, changes, and setup. Includes NRCs for circuits ($500 for under 10Mbps, $1125 for 10Mbps circuits), construction aid charges, and EU Hub Assignment charges.
3. Time and Materials Services: Billable work at customer premise beyond service demarcation point at $75/hour during activation, $120/hour after activation. Plus applicable mileage at IRS rates for on-site work.
4. Ethernet Transport Service (ETS) Pricing: Bandwidth-based pricing from 5 Mbps to 200 Gbps with Committed Information Rates (CIRs). EU Hub Assignment, Enhanced Port, and Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) services with term-based MRC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CNI operates a regional fiber optic network and provides business-grade telecommunications services, including fiber internet, 24/7/365 call center support, network operations center (NOC) monitoring, adaptive bitrate (ABR) video streaming, and CALEA Trusted Third Party compliance assistance. For carrier customers, it additionally offers Gigabit Ethernet Plus (GigE+) network connectivity, DWDM optical wavelength services, Ethernet Transport Service (ETS), and facilities & infrastructure services across Ohio, southeast Michigan, and eastern Indiana.

Product overview

CNI (Com Net, Inc.) offers a unified portfolio of telecommunications services centered around fiber internet infrastructure. The core offering combines Fiber Internet with complementary services including Call Center Support, Network Operations Center (NOC) monitoring, ABR Streaming Video, and CALEA Trusted Third Party compliance services. For carrier customers, additional offerings include GIGE+ (GigE Plus Fiber Optic Network), DWDM Services, Ethernet Transport Service (ETS), and Facilities & Infrastructure services. The company also provides ancillary services such as IPTV, Linux Server OS management, Virtual Machine Management, and Customer AAA (Authentication, Authorization & Accounting) integrated with billing. A customer-facing portal called CNI Insights provides real-time service monitoring and reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fiber Internet Lightning-fast, reliable fiber internet service tailored for business organizations, providing robust security, scalable bandwidth, and 24/7 monitoring.
• Call Center Support 24/7/365 white-glove call center support service providing technical assistance, customer service, and first-call resolution for telecommunications clients.
• Network Operations Center (NOC) 24/7/365 network monitoring and engineering services providing hands-on networking, infrastructure management, and maximum network performance monitoring.
• ABR Streaming Video Adaptive Bitrate streaming video service enabling delivery of television programming to households via broadband connection without traditional set top boxes.
• CALEA Trusted Third Party Compliance service assisting clients in gaining or maintaining CALEA compliance for facility-based broadband provider data services based on Safe Harbor standards as defined by the FCC.
• GIGE+ (GigE Plus Fiber Optic Network) Gigabit Ethernet Plus Availability Coalition (GigEPAC) network providing Ethernet connectivity and backhaul services across 31 counties in Ohio with over 2,000 route miles, interconnecting more than 35 broadband service providers.
• DWDM Services Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing services providing custom fiber solutions, private point-to-point optical wavelength service, and long-haul/metro connectivity with 24/7 monitoring.
• Ethernet Transport Service (ETS) Switched Ethernet service enabling VLAN technology to transport traffic among metro or rural locations with scalable bandwidth from 5 Mbps to 10 Gbps and 25ms or less round trip latency guarantee.
• Facilities & Infrastructure Carrier-grade facilities and infrastructure services including colocation centers, managed fiber services, and 40+ points of presence (PoPs) across the network with 5,000+ route miles of directly owned high-count fiber.
• CNI Insights Customer Portal Customer portal providing 24/7 access to service status, reporting, trends, and real-time information on purchased services. Built on LB Networks Business Service Portal and OcularIP platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% platform uptime achieved Q4 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• IndatelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCNI is a member of Indatel's nationwide network of wholesale carriers. The partnership provides access to over 400,000 miles of fiber connecting more than 40,000 buildings in 5,000 communities across underserved rural and metropolitan markets. CNI leverages this partnership for connectivity to most locations throughout the country and access to every major data center in the United States.
• OARnet (Ohio Academic Resource Network)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNI provides fiber infrastructure to serve the UAS Test Center and Complex in Springfield, Ohio. This partnership enabled OARnet to be selected for NASA drone technology research project for passenger travel and cargo delivery. CNI provides vital portions of fiber backbone to facilitate research projects across the state.
• LB NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationLB Networks developed CNI Insights customer portal using the Business Service Portal and OcularIP platform. The portal was turned up in just a couple of weeks and provides 24/7 access to service status, reporting, trends, and real-time information. LB Networks CEO Raymond Chiu noted CNI leveraged unique customization capabilities to differentiate their services.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Windstream (Kinetic): Regional fiber carrier with enterprise and wholesale services across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Competes with CNI for enterprise fiber deals and carrier-to-carrier transport.
• Zayo Group: Wholesale fiber carrier operating long-haul and metro DWDM networks across the U.S. Closest direct comparable to CNI's wholesale DWDM, ETS, and carrier-to-carrier services business model.
• altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell): Ohio-based fiber and telecom services provider serving residential and enterprise customers across the same Midwest geography as CNI. Competes directly for enterprise fiber deals and carrier services in overlapping Ohio territories.
• Consolidated Communications: Regional fiber and telecom services provider serving enterprise and carrier customers across the Midwest. Comparable business model with similar mix of fiber transport and managed services.
• Everstream: Midwest-focused fiber and wholesale carrier with a comparable mix of enterprise fiber, carrier backhaul, and data center connectivity services in Ohio and surrounding states.
• Metronet: Fiber-to-the-premises and enterprise services provider rapidly expanding across the Midwest. Direct competitor for enterprise fiber and wholesale services in overlapping Ohio and Indiana markets.
• Frontier Communications: Fiber-to-the-home and enterprise fiber provider actively expanding across Ohio and other Midwest states. Direct competitor for enterprise fiber and carrier backhaul in CNI's core geography.
• Brightspeed: Regional fiber provider (spun off from Lumen) actively expanding fiber across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Competes with CNI for enterprise customers and carrier services in adjacent geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Lumen Technologies: Large incumbent carrier with extensive fiber footprint, wholesale transport, and enterprise services nationwide. Overlaps with CNI in wholesale transport and enterprise services, but at vastly greater scale and with a national brand.
• Crown Castle: Large fiber and tower infrastructure provider offering fiber solutions and cell site backhaul. Overlaps with CNI's carrier services and cell site backhaul business, though at national scale and with a tower-focused portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CNIteam
• Facebookfacebook.com/cniteam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cniteam

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 CNI (Com Net, Inc.)