What TrioTel Communications does

TrioTel Communications, Inc. is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative founded on December 13, 1951 in Salem, South Dakota, originally as the McCook Cooperative Telephone Company. The cooperative serves residential, farm, and business customers across ten exchange areas in rural southeast South Dakota, including Alexandria, Canova, Center, Clayton, Emery, Fulton, Salem, Spencer, and Winfred, spanning Hanson, McCook, Miner, and Lake counties. Service has grown through multiple acquisitions (Hanson County Telephone Company in 1993, McCook Telecom in 1996, Tri County Telcom in 2005) and merger consolidations culminating in the 2010 rebranding to TrioTel Communications, Inc.

The cooperative's network infrastructure is its core differentiator: 1,000+ miles of fiber-optic cable delivering 100% fiber-to-the-home service to subscribers, a milestone TrioTel first achieved in South Dakota in 2013. The triple-play service portfolio consists of Fiber Internet (symmetric speeds from 300Mbps to 1Gbps across four residential and business tiers), TrioVision IPTV television (32 to 100+ channel packages with DVR and Watch TV Everywhere streaming), and local phone service with calling features and wire-maintenance protection. Adjacent offerings include Enhanced WIFI (managed Giga Blast router with CommandIQ app control), security camera monitoring equipment, Relay South Dakota accessibility services, and Lifeline federal subsidy support. Distribution is via direct sales at the Salem business office, online service applications, phone-based ordering, and 24-hour local internet tech support.

TrioTel's business model is built on member-owned subscription recurring revenue at monthly billing cadences, with pricing structured by internet speed tier ($64.95–$145), TV package ($61.92–$121.92, including a $40.97 broadcaster retransmission pass-through), and equipment rentals ($9.95/month managed WIFI, $2.95/month extenders, $2.75/month wire maintenance). Installation fees ($99 internet, $32 phone) provide one-time revenue. Go-to-market is sales-led and community-anchored, supported by blog content, monthly e-newsletters, quarterly physical newsletters, Instagram, local event sponsorships, and scholarship programs. The cooperative is governed by an elected Board of Directors with day-to-day operations led by General Manager/CEO Heather Kranz; members receive annual capital credit allocations tied to service purchases.

Name

TrioTel Communications

Legal name

TrioTel Communications, Inc.

Website

https://triotel.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TrioTel Communications is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative serving residential, farm, and business customers across ten exchange areas in rural southeast South Dakota. Operating since 1951, it delivers triple-play fiber internet, phone, and IPTV television services over 1,000+ miles of 100% fiber-to-the-home infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Municipal & Community Broadband Networks (HDAIACAE)

Keywords

• Fiber optic internet
• Telecommunications cooperative
• Rural broadband service
• Cable television service
• Telephone services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Internet Services: Subscription-based high-speed fiber internet services offered in multiple speed tiers (300M, 600M, 800M, 1GIG) for residential and business customers. Pricing is based on speed tiers and includes unlimited usage with no time limits.
2. TrioVision TV Services: IPTV cable television services with channel packages (Simply Right at 32 channels, Preferred Choice at 100+ channels), premium channel add-ons (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz), and Whole Home DVR recording service.
3. Phone Services: Local telephone service with unlimited local calling, various calling features (voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, etc.), and long distance carrier options. Additional revenue from wire maintenance protection plans.
4. Enhanced WIFI Equipment Rental: Monthly rental of managed WIFI routers ($9.95/month) and WIFI extenders ($2.95/month each) that remain property of TrioTel.
5. Wire Maintenance Protection: Monthly protection plan covering diagnosis, maintenance and repair on existing telephone, internet and video wiring and jacks in the home at $2.75 per month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TrioTel Communications is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative that sells high-speed fiber internet (300Mbps to 1Gbps), local telephone service, TrioVision IPTV cable television, managed Enhanced WIFI, and camera monitoring/security equipment. All services are delivered over an owned 100% fiber-to-the-home network spanning over 1,000 miles across rural southeast South Dakota communities. The cooperative serves residential, farm, and small-business customers in defined local exchange areas.

Product overview

TrioTel Communications is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative providing a triple-play service portfolio centered on 100% fiber-optic network infrastructure. Core offerings include Fiber Internet (with symmetric speeds from 300Mbps to 1Gbps), Phone Service (local/regional calling with extensive features), and TrioVision IPTV (cable television with 32-100+ channels and DVR). Supporting services include Enhanced WIFI (managed router with mobile app control), Camera Monitoring (security systems), and specialty features like Relay South Dakota (accessibility), Lifeline assistance (low-income support), MyTVs App (DVR management), Watch TV Everywhere (streaming), Find Me Service (call routing), and Voice Mail. All services are delivered over 1,000+ miles of fiber covering rural southeast South Dakota communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• First broadband provider in South Dakota to deploy fiber optic services to 100% of subscribers (achieved 2013)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SDN CommunicationscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025SDN Communications partnered with TrioTel on network security analysis regarding SuperBoxes and similar streaming devices. SDN's technical team identified security concerns and collaborated on testing with Dakota State University, presenting findings at a South Dakota Telecommunications Association workshop attended by TrioTel team members.
• Dakota State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Dakota State University's Digital Forensics for Cyber Enforcement Lab conducted independent testing and analysis of SuperBox streaming devices in partnership with SDN Communications. Research findings were presented at a workshop hosted by SDTA and attended by TrioTel, addressing network security and malware concerns.
• NTCA - The Rural Broadband AssociationcoreOthersTrioTel is a member of NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association, participating in the James L. Bass Legal Scholarship program established by NTCA for law students interested in rural communities. NTCA was pivotal in securing funds for rural telephone systems historically.
• Foundation for Rural Service (FRS)minorOthersTrioTel participates in the FRS Community Grant Program and sponsors scholarship applicants through FRS, which annually awards scholarships to rural students for their first year of college or vocational school.
• South Dakota Telecommunications Association (SDTA)minorOthersTrioTel is a member of SDTA, which offers the SDTA Memorial Scholarship for students majoring in telecommunications or broadband-related fields at South Dakota institutions.
• Spencer Volunteer Fire DepartmentminorOthersTrioTel donated $3,300 to the Spencer Volunteer Fire Department to help purchase a new blood pressure and oxygen monitoring machine for emergency response capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Frontier Communications: Large US wireline/fiber operator serving rural and suburban markets including parts of South Dakota; comparable broadband/voice offerings but at much greater scale and without cooperative ownership.
• Midcontinent Communications: Upper Midwest cable/broadband provider delivering internet, TV, and phone across South Dakota and neighboring states; larger-scale incumbent serving overlapping rural and mid-sized markets.
• Lumen Technologies: Tier-1 US wireline carrier (formerly CenturyLink) with fiber and copper residential and business services across South Dakota; broad incumbent with overlapping voice and broadband capabilities to TrioTel.

Others

• SDN Communications: South Dakota wholesale fiber backbone provider and TrioTel partner; comparable as a regional fiber network operator though it operates at the wholesale/infrastructure layer rather than retail.

Direct peers

• Venture Communications Cooperative: South Dakota-based member-owned telecommunications cooperative providing fiber internet, phone, and video to rural members; essentially identical business model and customer base to TrioTel.
• Midstate Communications: South Dakota cooperative telephone company offering fiber, voice, and video services in rural communities; same cooperative structure and FTTH orientation as TrioTel.
• West River Cooperative Telephone Company: Member-owned cooperative providing telephone, internet, and TV services across rural western South Dakota; near-identical service mix, customer profile, and cooperative governance.
• Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC): Brainerd, MN-based rural cooperative telecom offering fiber internet, TV, and phone to small-town and rural customers across Minnesota; highly analogous cooperative FTTH operator.
• Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative: Member-owned rural telecommunications cooperative serving western South Dakota; directly comparable cooperative fiber/broadband operator with triple-play services over a similar FTTH infrastructure footprint.

Emerging players

• Bluepeak: Growing fiber-to-the-home provider expanding into rural South Dakota markets; directly comparable internet/TV/phone service portfolio targeting similar household customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/triotel
• Facebookfacebook.com/triotelcommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/triotel-communications-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 TrioTel Communications