ROCK ISLAND

What ROCK ISLAND does

Rock Island Communications is a privately held broadband internet service provider serving San Juan County, Washington, across approximately 20 islands. Founded in 2015 when OPALCO (a member-owned electric cooperative) created Island Network LLC and acquired the long-standing Rock Island Technology Solutions, the company operates as a for-profit cooperative subsidiary focused on cost recovery, network loan repayment, and reinvestment rather than profit maximization. As of 2025, it serves nearly 4,000 fiber customers and 3,000 fixed wireless customers, totaling roughly 8,000 subscribers, or about half of the county's ~16,000 households.

The company delivers service over a hybrid access network. The fiber backbone offers symmetrical speeds from 50 Mbps to 2 Gbps via dedicated, non-shared fiber lines and spans 740+ miles across the archipelago, including underground, overhead, and undersea routes. Fixed wireless service, built in partnership with T-Mobile using licensed 700 MHz spectrum secured from Vulcan Inc. in 2013, extends broadband to rural homes and businesses that fiber has not yet reached, delivering speeds up to 75 Mbps. The product portfolio is rounded out with bundled VOIP phone service, Managed Mesh WiFi, static IP addresses, and a growing suite of business IT services including 24/7 network monitoring, managed wireless, managed cloud, and enterprise solutions with negotiated SLAs.

Rock Island's revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly subscriptions across residential ($50-$285) and business ($110-$330) plans, supplemented by one-time fiber construction and activation fees and revenue from the OPALCO Switch It Up financing and Contract Incentive programs. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-customer via website, phone, and two island offices (Friday Harbor and Eastsound), with the Fiberhood community-organizing program functioning as a novel channel in which groups of neighbors coordinate to share Middle Mile construction costs. Marketing emphasizes local cooperative identity through community sponsorships, social media, and earned media in outlets like Ruralite Magazine.

Name

ROCK ISLAND

Legal name

Rock Island Communications

Website

https://rockisland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rock Island Communications is a cooperative-owned broadband ISP serving approximately 8,000 residential and business customers across the 20 islands of San Juan County, Washington, via 740+ miles of fiber and a T-Mobile-partnered fixed wireless network, offering symmetrical speeds up to 2 Gbps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadband Internet Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Telecommunications (517)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Broadband Providers (HDAIABAE), Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI)

Keywords

• Fiber internet services
• Fixed wireless broadband
• VoIP phone services
• Managed IT services
• Business connectivity solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastsound

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Internet Service: Monthly subscription revenue from residential fiber and fixed wireless internet services. Fiber plans range from $50-$285/month; Fixed Wireless plans range from $50-$105/month. No data caps on any service. Revenue is used to pay off debt, operate and maintain systems, expand service to unserved areas, and upgrade capacity.
2. Business Internet Services: Monthly subscription revenue from business fiber plans ranging from $110-$330/month, including plans with speeds from 125Mbps to 2Gbps. Business services include priority support, 24/7 system monitoring, and VOIP phone service bundled. Enterprise solutions are negotiated individually with Service Level Agreements.
3. Business IT Services: Managed IT services including 24/7 network and security monitoring, server and network upgrades, managed wireless, and managed cloud services. Revenue generated through service contracts with businesses in San Juan Islands.
4. VOIP Phone Service: Voice Over Internet Protocol phone service offered as add-on to internet packages. Residential VOIP starts at $17.95/month. Business VOIP is bundled with fiber plans with free initial months. Revenue from international calling and directory assistance billed per-minute.
5. Construction and Installation Services: One-time fees for fiber construction including activation fees ($150 for fiber, $50 for fixed wireless). Customers can finance construction costs through OPALCO's Switch It Up program or utilize the Contract Incentive program which covers up to $3,000 of build costs.
6. Static IP Address Service: Static IP address available on all fiber plans for $20/month additional charge. Residential static IP on 1GB+ plans available for $40/month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rock Island Communications delivers broadband internet, voice, and managed IT services to residential and business customers across the San Juan Islands via a hybrid Fiber-To-The-Home and Fixed Wireless network. Core offerings include residential and business fiber internet (50 Mbps to 2 Gbps symmetrical), fixed wireless broadband, VOIP phone service, Managed Mesh WiFi, and managed business IT services including 24/7 network monitoring, managed wireless, and managed cloud.

Product overview

Rock Island Communications is a local broadband provider serving San Juan County, Washington since 2015, operating as a subsidiary of OPALCO (a member-owned cooperative). The company offers a portfolio of internet connectivity products centered around two core access technologies: Fiber Optic Internet Service (with symmetrical speeds from 50Mbps to 2Gbps) and Fixed Wireless Internet Service (using cellular technology, up to 75Mbps). The product suite is complemented by Voice Over IP Phone Service, Managed Mesh WiFi add-on, and Business IT Services including Managed Wireless, Managed Cloud, and Enterprise Solutions. Rock Island also provides supporting services including Fiber Construction, the Fiberhood community construction program, and Fiber Financing options. All residential and business plans include no data caps, with VOIP and Managed Mesh available as add-on services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Fiber Optic Internet Service High-speed broadband internet delivered via dedicated fiber optic lines to the home, offering symmetrical upload and download speeds ranging from 50 Mbps (RI Access) to 2 Gbps. Plans range from $50 to $285/month with no data caps, no minimum contract on standard plans, and router included.
• Fixed Wireless Internet Service Plug-and-play wireless internet using cellular technology delivered via the nation's first fixed wireless network of its kind built in partnership with T-Mobile. Provides service to areas where fiber has not yet been built; speeds vary by location. Plans range from $50 to $105/month with no data caps, no throttling, no minimum contract, and router included.
• Business Fiber Internet Service Dedicated fiber internet plans for businesses with symmetrical speeds from 125 Mbps to 2 Gbps, priced $110 to $330/month. Bundles include router, WiFi access points, priority support, 24/7 system monitoring, and VOIP phone service. Enterprise Solutions offer fully dedicated connections with negotiated SLAs.
• Business IT Services Comprehensive managed IT services for businesses including 24/7 network and security monitoring, server and network upgrades, managed wireless, and managed cloud services. Designed to provide full-scale IT department capabilities at affordable cost for local businesses.
• Enterprise Solutions Custom-built infrastructure solutions for larger businesses including fully dedicated connections, around-the-clock expert support, and negotiated Service Level Agreements tailored to unique business needs.
• Voice Over IP (VOIP) Phone Service Cloud-based phone service delivered over the Rock Island internet connection. Features include voicemail-to-email, caller ID, spam call filtering, mobile app, unlimited long distance to US and Canada, enhanced 911, and call forwarding. Residential VOIP starts at $17.95/month; business VOIP is bundled with fiber plans with free initial months.
• Managed Mesh WiFi Whole-home WiFi coverage solution with smart device steering, access to non-public spectrum channels, and detailed diagnostics for every WiFi connection. Includes a mobile app for network health monitoring, parental controls, and access to a local support team. Available as a subscription add-on starting at $5/month.
• Fiber Construction Services Professional fiber optic network construction services including middle mile shared infrastructure and last mile individual connections. Services include design, contractor coordination, permitting, and installation across underground, overhead, and seafloor routes. Includes $150 activation fee for fiber and $50 for fixed wireless.

Quantifiable outcome

• Speeds improved from 2.5Mbps average to up to 2Gbps (800x improvement)
• +4 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

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, core and parent.

• Rock Island Technology SolutionsfoundationalOthers · 1 January 2015Island Network LLC (created by OPALCO in 2015) acquired Rock Island Technology Solutions, a local company that had been in business in Friday Harbor since 1994. This acquisition created the platform to deliver retail internet services with local support, and the company was rebranded as Rock Island Communications.
• T-MobilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Rock Island built the nation's first Fixed Wireless network of its kind in partnership with T-Mobile. The arrangement was structured as a no-cost exchange: OPALCO (Rock Island's parent) provided fiber distribution and mainland backhaul while T-Mobile provided cellular equipment and operations. The result gave T-Mobile near-complete cellular coverage across the San Juan Islands while Rock Island secured exclusive rights to provide fixed wireless broadband to homes and businesses. This partnership also enabled emergency services radio communications infrastructure.
• Vulcan Inc.foundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, OPALCO secured access to licensed 700 MHz spectrum through an agreement with OPALCO member Paul Allen's company, Vulcan Inc. This spectrum was ideal for long-distance wireless coverage and enabled a lower-cost path to begin delivering broadband service to the islands.
• OPALCO (Olympic Power League)parentOthersOPALCO is the parent company of Rock Island Communications. OPALCO (Olympic Power League) is a rural electric cooperative owned by its members. Rock Island operates as a for-profit subsidiary of OPALCO, structured to cover costs, pay back loans required to build the network, and reinvest in expanding and improving service. OPALCO also offers the 'Switch It Up' financing program allowing members to finance fiber builds on their power bills.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ziply Fiber: Regional fiber and fixed broadband provider serving the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana), with a similar mix of fiber-to-the-home, DSL, and fixed wireless offerings. Directly comparable to Rock Island in product mix and region, though at significantly larger scale.
• Astound Broadband: Regional cable, fiber, and broadband provider serving markets in the Pacific Northwest (formerly Wave Broadband) along with Northeast and Midwest markets. Comparable mix of residential broadband and business services, and like Rock Island serves smaller markets and rural-adjacent communities.
• Consolidated Communications: Regional fiber and broadband provider with strong presence in rural and small-town markets, offering residential fiber, business services, and managed IT. Comparable focus on tier-2/rural geographies and bundled service offerings including VOIP.
• Co-Mo Connect: Electric cooperative-owned broadband ISP serving rural Missouri with fiber-to-the-home and broadband services. Closely comparable cooperative ownership model, rural fixed broadband focus, and community-driven deployment approach to Rock Island.
• Mid-South Fiber (NCTC): Fiber broadband subsidiary of a rural electric cooperative in Middle Tennessee, offering residential and business fiber internet. Highly comparable structure: cooperative-owned fiber ISP serving rural customers with multi-product bundling.

Broad incumbents

• Frontier Communications: National fiber and broadband provider focused on tier-2/rural markets across the U.S. CenturyLink/Lumen previously served San Juan County before Rock Island entered; Frontier represents the broader incumbent fiber-overbuilder competitor class Rock Island displaces.
• Lumen Technologies (CenturyLink): National incumbent telecom whose 2013 undersea cable failure catalyzed Rock Island's creation. Lumen's legacy DSL and fiber offerings in rural Washington represent the prior infrastructure Rock Island replaced.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: National fixed wireless home internet service using T-Mobile's 5G/LTE network. Both a strategic partner to Rock Island (for the San Juan Islands) and a potential nationwide competitor in rural broadband as 5G FWA scales.

Emerging players

• Starry Internet: Fixed wireless broadband ISP focused on urban and suburban MDUs using millimeter-wave technology. Comparable fixed wireless delivery model and broadband-only positioning, though operating in different geographies than Rock Island.
• Starlink (SpaceX): LEO satellite broadband service from SpaceX explicitly targeting underserved rural and remote markets like San Juan Islands. Represents a non-terrestrial alternative that competes for the same addressable market, particularly in harder-to-reach island geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RockIslandComm
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockislandsji
• Xx.com/rockislandsjc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 ROCK ISLAND