Northwest Communications

What Northwest Communications does

Northwest Communications is a privately held regional telecommunications company headquartered in Amery, Wisconsin, serving residential customers across eight western Wisconsin communities (Amery, Clayton, Deer Park, New Richmond, St. Joseph, Somerset, Star Prairie, Turtle Lake) plus Solon Springs. The corporate group traces its operational origins to the Amery Telephone Company founded in 1897 and today consists of Northwest Communications, Inc., its wholly-owned cable subsidiary Northwest Community Communications, Inc. (formed 1983), and Somerset Telephone Company, Inc. (acquired 1997), all operating under a unified brand name. Scale metrics indicate approximately 10,000 telephone access lines, 3,000+ internet customers, and 4,400 cable subscribers.

The service portfolio centers on three delivery verticals built on owned infrastructure: high-speed internet (DSL 6-20 Mbps, cable modem 25-100 Mbps, fiber-optic GigaMax up to 5,000 Mbps), telephone service (traditional landline and VOIP with calling features and EAS/ECC calling plans), and video entertainment (cable TV with premium channels HBO/Showtime/Cinemax/STARZ ENCORE, IPTV delivered over DSL, and the watchTVeverywhere streaming portal). Add-on services include managed security (SecureIT), hosted PBX for small business via CommPortal, eBill self-service, and the federally subsidized Lifeline discount program. Installation is priced at $50 for cable modem and $300 for fiber, and the model is no-contract with no data caps on broadband.

Revenue is generated predominantly through recurring monthly subscriptions: internet tiers range from DSL at $34.95 to GigaMax 5000 at $199.95; cable TV ranges from $66.29 to $138.54; VOIP is $29.99/month; basic telephone is approximately $22/month. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through four physical branch offices (Amery headquarters, Somerset, New Richmond, Solon Springs) and online service inquiry applications, with no enterprise sales motion documented. The company has remained locally owned with no institutional investment, operates with 1-10 employees, and presents as a mature, stable, infrastructure-anchored rural telecom operator.

Name

Northwest Communications

Legal name

Northwest Communications, Inc.

Website

https://nwcomm.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northwest Communications is a privately held rural Wisconsin telecommunications company that delivers DSL, cable modem, and fiber broadband internet, telephone (POTS and VOIP), and cable TV/IPTV video services to approximately 10,000 access lines across residential customers in eight western Wisconsin communities, operating under a unified brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Telecommunications

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural & Regional ISPs (HDAIADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ), Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG)

Keywords

• Rural broadband internet
• Fiber optic internet
• Cable television
• Telephone services
• Voip phone service

Headquarters

HQ city

Amery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Internet Services Revenue: Monthly subscription fees for broadband internet services including DSL, cable modem, and fiber GigaMax plans. Revenue generated through tiered pricing based on speed tiers.
2. Cable Television Revenue: Monthly subscription fees for cable TV packages including Basic, Expanded Basic, premium movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, STARZ ENCORE), and equipment rentals (DVR gateways, digital cable cards).
3. Telephone Services Revenue: Monthly fees for VOIP phone service and traditional telephone service with optional calling features, long distance plans, and EAS/ECC calling services.
4. Equipment Installation Fees: One-time fees for installation of cable modems ($50), DSL modems, and fiber installations ($300). Equipment rental charges for managed devices.
5. SecureIT Security Services: Monthly subscription for managed security services including virus protection, spyware protection, popup blocker, personal firewall, parental controls, and disk maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Northwest Communications is a regional telecom provider selling residential internet (DSL, cable modem, and fiber GigaMax up to 5,000 Mbps), traditional and VoIP telephone service, cable television with premium movie channels, IPTV for DSL-only areas, and optional add-ons including watchTVeverywhere streaming and SecureIT managed security. Service is delivered through owned DSL, cable, and fiber infrastructure to rural Wisconsin communities.

Product overview

Northwest Communications is a regional telecommunications company operating as a unified brand for Amery Telcom, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Northwest Community Communications, Inc. and Somerset Telephone Company, Inc.). The company offers a diversified portfolio of services centered around four core offerings: high-speed internet (via DSL, cable modem, and fiber GigaMax), traditional and VoIP telephone service, cable television and IPTV, and security add-ons. The internet services range from basic DSL at 6-20 Mbps to fiber GigaMax at speeds up to 5000 Mbps. Telephone services include basic landline, VoIP, and various long distance plans with calling features. TV services encompass traditional cable with premium channels and IPTV for DSL customers. Add-on services include watchTVeverywhere streaming, SecureIT security suite, eBill payment portal, CommPortal customer management, and Lifeline assistance program. The company primarily serves rural Wisconsin communities including Amery, Somerset, Clayton, Deer Park, Turtle Lake, New Richmond, Star Prairie, and St. Joseph.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GigaMax Fiber Internet Fiber-to-the-premises broadband with symmetrical upload/download speeds in tiers GigaMax 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 5000. Wireless router is included. Fiber installation fee is $300. No contracts and no data caps.
• Cable Modem Broadband Internet Fixed broadband delivered via cable infrastructure with multiple speed tiers ranging from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps download; tier pricing from $59.95 to $119.95 per month with a $50 cable modem installation fee.
• DSL Broadband Internet Digital subscriber line broadband with tiers spanning 6 Mbps to 20 Mbps download; targeted at residential customers in telephone-line-served areas.
• VOIP Phone Service Voice over IP telephone service providing unlimited long distance calling, voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, and three-way calling for $29.99 per month.
• Traditional Telephone Service Basic landline telephone service without calling features or long distance, with optional add-on calling features including voicemail, distinctive ring, Find-Me-Follow-Me, and call forwarding.
• Long Distance Plans (EZTALK) Long distance telephone service available in tiered minute plans (EZTALK 100, 200, 400, 1000, and 1500) and per-minute rate plans for residential and small business customers.
• Cable Television Service Cable TV packages ranging from Basic ($66.29/month, ~96 channels) to Expanded Basic, with optional premium movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, STARZ ENCORE), DVR gateways, and digital cable card equipment rentals.
• IPTV Internet Protocol Television delivered over the existing DSL connection for areas without traditional cable TV infrastructure; basic package includes 67 standard-definition and 39 HD channels, with an expanded package available.
• watchTVeverywhere Online streaming portal included free for Northwest Communications video subscribers, allowing live TV and on-demand content viewing on internet-connected devices via participating provider websites and apps.
• SecureIT Managed internet security subscription providing virus protection, spyware protection, popup blocker, personal firewall, parental controls, and disk maintenance for $5.95 per month.
• eBill Digital bill payment platform that lets customers view and manage their telecom account and make online payments.
• CommPortal Customer web portal for telephone service access, account management, and communication services such as QuickDial Accelerator and MaX Meeting.
• Hosted PBX Portal Business telephone system portal providing hosted PBX management capabilities for small business customers served by Northwest Communications.
• Lifeline Program Government-subsidized telephone assistance program that reduces monthly phone bills by $10.00 for eligible low-income households receiving benefits from qualifying state or federal programs.
• Extended Area Service (EAS) and Extended Calling Area (ECC) Regional calling plans offering local or reduced-rate calling to specified nearby communities; EAS is included at no extra cost, and ECC is billed at $0.05 per minute.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pg/Northwest-Communications-152674734757386/posts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communications-northwest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Northwest Communications