GTLconnect

What GTLconnect does

Revenue is generated through a mix of usage-based charges (per-minute phone rates such as $0.105/min under Florida DOC; messaging credits priced by facility) and transaction fees (commissary trust deposits tiered by amount, e.g., $3.50–$8.95 in Illinois; video visitation sessions priced at $6.25 for 25 minutes in Illinois; visitation background check fees in Arizona). The business is structured through multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries — TouchPay Holdings LLC (d/b/a GTL Financial Services) for money transmission, GTL Enhanced Services LLC for ConnectNetwork transaction processing, and acquired entities (DSI-ITI, Telmate, VAC, Public Communications Services, Renovo Software, Innertainment Delivery Systems) operating under the ViaPath Technologies umbrella. Growth is shaped by offsetting forces: ongoing geographic and product expansion (international calling, tablet content, community corrections payments) versus regulatory pressure toward no-cost calling programs at the state level.

Name

GTLconnect

Legal name

Global Tel*Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies

Website

https://web.connectnetwork.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GTLconnect (ConnectNetwork by ViaPath Technologies) operates a cloud-based inmate communications and payments platform serving all 50 US states, state Departments of Corrections, and the friends and family of incarcerated individuals via phone, messaging, video visitation, commissary deposits, and tablet content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inmate Communications and Corrections Technology Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Payment Gateways & API Connectivity (FSAGABAB)

Keywords

• Inmate communications services
• Correctional telecommunications platform
• Prison phone services
• Video visitation systems
• Inmate commissary deposits

Headquarters

HQ city

Reston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Phone Call Charges: Friends and family fund prepaid accounts (AdvancePay or PIN Debit) that inmates use to make outbound collect calls. Charges are per minute of call time. For Florida DOC facilities, the rate is $0.105 per minute for all calls within the North American Dialing Plan. International calls have separate per-minute rates. Revenue accrues from the call recipient's prepaid balance.
2. Trust Fund / Commissary Deposits: Friends and family deposit money into inmates' commissary accounts (Trust Fund) for use at facility commissaries to purchase food, personal items, and other approved goods. GTL charges transaction fees on these deposits, with fee amounts varying by deposit range. For Illinois DOC: $3.50 for $0-$30, $5.75 for $30.01-$100, $6.75 for $100.01-$200, $8.95 for $200.01-$300.
3. Messaging Credits: Users purchase message credits to send electronic messages to inmates. Photo and video attachments are premium messaging services funded via these credits. Pricing varies by facility. The sender can also purchase additional credits for the inmate to reply.
4. Video Visitation Fees: Fees charged for video visitation sessions. For Illinois DOC facilities, sessions are priced at $6.25 for 25 minutes and $13.75 for 55 minutes. Sessions can be conducted from home or at facility kiosks.
5. Inmate Tablet Content & Services: Inmates access premium tablet content (streaming music, games, ebooks, education, news) funded through their Debit Link accounts. Family and friends deposit funds into these accounts for inmates to purchase premium digital content and services.
6. Visitation Background Check Fees: Payment processing fee for visitor background check applications required by certain facilities (e.g., Arizona DOC) before in-person visits. The fee covers registration and background check costs.
7. Community Corrections Payments: Payment processing for electronic monitoring fees, parole fees, restitution, and other community supervision obligations. These are payments made by individuals under community supervision to pay fees owed to the correctional system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GTLconnect (also branded ConnectNetwork) is a cloud-based inmate communications platform that integrates prepaid phone services (AdvancePay, PIN Debit, Inmate Voicemail), electronic messaging with photo/video attachments, video visitation, and commissary/trust fund deposit processing for correctional facilities and the friends and family of incarcerated individuals. It also delivers an inmate tablet content ecosystem spanning education, streaming music, games, ebooks, newsfeed, FM radio, and TV audio, accessible via web, mobile apps, automated phone lines, and facility kiosks.

Product overview

ConnectNetwork by GTL (Global Tel*Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies) is a unified corrections communications platform offering a comprehensive suite of services for inmate-family connections. The platform operates across three core service areas: Communications (AdvancePay prepaid calling, PIN Debit, Inmate Voicemail, Messaging with photo/video attachments, Video Visitation, Visitation Scheduling, and International Calling/Messaging), Payments & Support (Trust Fund commissary deposits, Debit Link for tablet content, Community Corrections payments), and Inmate Devices & Content (Education, Streaming Music, Game Center, Newsfeed, eBooks, FM Radio, TV Audio). The ecosystem is accessible via web portal, mobile apps for Android and iOS, automated phone systems, and facility kiosks. Trust Fund deposits are processed through TouchPay Holdings LLC d/b/a GTL Financial Services, while communications services are provided by GTL Enhanced Services LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AdvancePay A prepaid phone account set up by family or friends so that incarcerated individuals can make collect calls to the account holder's phone number; account holders receive automated low-balance SMS alerts.
• PIN Debit An inmate phone account funded by friends and family that lets incarcerated individuals make outbound calls using pre-purchased calling credits drawn down per call.
• Inmate Voicemail A PIN-protected voicemail service that lets friends and family leave secure incoming messages for inmates 24/7, even when the inmate is unavailable to take a live call.
• Messaging Electronic messaging service that allows users to send messages to inmates from a computer or mobile device; inmates can view, print, or respond electronically depending on facility capabilities, funded by message credits.
• Video Visitation Video visitation service that lets users conduct face-to-face visits with inmates remotely via web browser, mobile app, or facility kiosks; sessions priced by duration at participating facilities (e.g., Illinois DOC: $6.25 for 25 minutes, $13.75 for 55 minutes).
• Visitation Scheduling Scheduling service that lets users schedule video visits or facility visits with inmates at participating correctional facilities.
• Visitation Fee Payment service that lets users pay visitor fees and background check fees required by correctional facilities such as Arizona Department of Corrections before in-person visits.
• Trust Fund Inmate commissary account service that lets users deposit money into an inmate's trust account for purchasing food, personal items, and other approved products at the facility commissary, with tiered transaction fees (e.g., Illinois DOC: $3.50–$8.95).
• Debit Link Inmate account funded by friends and family used to purchase tablet-related content and services such as messaging, games, music, education, and other entertainment.
• Community Corrections Payments Payment processing for electronic monitoring fees, parole fees, restitution, community supervision fees, and other correctional-related payments owed by individuals under community supervision.
• Education Educational content suite for inmate tablets, including courses, modules, videos, and other learning materials funded via the Debit Link account.
• Streaming Music Unlimited music streaming service on inmate tablets featuring rock, pop, rap, country, and other genres, funded via the Debit Link account.
• Game Center Entertainment service providing popular games and puzzles for inmates to play on tablets, funded via the Debit Link account.
• Newsfeed

Quantifiable outcome

• Free weekly communication: 1 free phone call up to 5 minutes per week for all incarcerated individuals at GTL customer facilities (e.g., Florida DOC contract)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature9 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aventiv Technologies (Securus Technologies): Aventiv is the parent of Securus Technologies, GTLconnect's principal direct competitor in inmate phone, messaging, video visitation, and corrections payments; together they effectively form the US inmate communications duopoly serving the same state DOC customers.
• Pay Tel Communications: Pay Tel is one of the remaining mid-sized independent inmate communications and commissary deposit providers, competing head-to-head with GTLconnect for state and county correctional contracts.
• IC Solutions: IC Solutions provides inmate phone, voicemail, and video visitation services to state DOCs and county jails, overlapping directly with GTLconnect's core communications product suite.
• JPay (Aventiv): JPay, now part of Aventiv, offers inmate commissary deposits, email/messaging, and tablet content — directly competing with GTLconnect's Trust Fund, Messaging, and Debit Link products.

Emerging players

• Corrisoft: Corrisoft provides community corrections case management, electronic monitoring, and mobile tools for probation/parole agencies, overlapping with GTLconnect's Community Corrections payment services on a narrower scope.
• Edovo: Edovo delivers educational and rehabilitative content via inmate tablets in jails and prisons, competing with a subset of GTLconnect's tablet content ecosystem (Education, ebooks, Game Center).

Others

• Appriss Insights (Equifax): Appriss provides risk and compliance data (including criminal intelligence and visitor screening) used by corrections agencies — adjacent to GTLconnect's visitor background check fee processing but not a direct competitor.
• Western Union: Western Union is integrated with GTLconnect as a payment rail for international inmate account funding; it is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, and its money-movement scale reflects the broader market GTLconnect addresses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GTLconnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/GTLconnect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 GTLconnect