ABnet

What ABnet does

ABnet is a Calgary-based, privately held internet service provider (ISP) serving residential and commercial customers across rural and urban Alberta, Canada. The company operates an MPLS-based core network with distributed topology, redundant ring transport (combining Rigstar-owned circuits and Tier 1 vendor partnerships), and an in-house 24/7/365 Network Operations Centre. Since its 2005 acquisition by Rigstar Industrial Telecom, ABnet has positioned itself as a regional connectivity provider with no-contract, unlimited-data residential plans ranging from $89.95 to $124.95/month (25–100 Mbps download) and layer 2/layer 3 services for commercial and SmartCity deployments.

The company has expanded beyond pure broadband into two adjacent lines: an IoT Network as a Service (long-range, low-power, carrier-grade network marketed to agriculture, golf, and tracking/monitoring use cases) and a wholesale hosted email platform (City Email, powered by MagicMail) sold to other ISPs and Telcos with a billing-system API for back-office integration. ABnet distributes primarily through direct-to-consumer self-serve signup on its website, supported by phone sales and a customer portal, with no named enterprise logos or disclosed revenue or subscriber figures.

ABnet is small (1–10 employees per disclosure), privately held, and operates as a strategic operating subsidiary of Rigstar Industrial Telecom. Reported financials, headcount trends, and customer counts are not disclosed, and the company has not raised external funding. Strategic activity is concentrated in product diversification (IoT NaaS, MagicMail) rather than geographic expansion; current operations remain confined to Alberta.

Name

ABnet

Legal name

ABnet

Website

https://abnet.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ABnet is a Calgary-based ISP, owned by Rigstar Industrial Telecom since 2005, providing residential broadband (25–100 Mbps), commercial network services, IoT Network as a Service, and a wholesale hosted email platform (MagicMail) to customers across Alberta, Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Service Provider (Broadband & IoT Connectivity)

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), All Other Telecommunications (5178), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural & Regional ISPs (HDAIADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) & On-Demand Connectivity (HDABALAE), Residential/Broadband ISPs (Consumer Internet) (HDAIADAA), Managed Internet & Value-Added ISP Services (Managed Router/Wi-Fi, Security, Filtering) (HDAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Internet service provider
• Rural broadband internet
• VoIP services
• IoT network services
• MPLS networking solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Internet Service Plans: Monthly subscription internet service plans for residential customers with various speed tiers from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps download speeds.
2. IoT Network Services: IoT Network as a Service offering intelligent tracking, monitoring, and process efficiency capabilities for various applications including agriculture and golf industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ABnet is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) delivering high-speed broadband internet (plans ranging from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps) to residential and commercial customers across rural and urban Alberta via an MPLS network. The company also offers a carrier-grade IoT Network as a Service (NaaS) for long-range, low-power IoT applications and hosted email solutions through its City Email / MagicMail platform.

Product overview

ABnet is an Internet Service Provider offering high-speed broadband internet plans (Home 25, Home 35, Home 50, Ultra 100) with speeds ranging from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps, serving residential and commercial customers throughout Alberta. The company also provides an IoT Network (Network as a Service) for long-range, low-power IoT applications. Through its City Email subsidiary, ABnet offers hosted email solutions powered by MagicMail technology, including Anti-Spam protection, with API integration for billing systems. The product portfolio includes core connectivity services, IoT network capabilities, and enterprise email hosting with various branding options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Speed Broadband Internet Residential and commercial broadband internet service with four tiered plans (Home 25 at 25 Mbps / $89.95 monthly, Home 35 at 35 Mbps / $99.95 monthly, Home 50 at 50 Mbps / $109.95 monthly, and Ultra 100 at 100 Mbps / $124.95 monthly) featuring unlimited data, 15 Mbps upload, 24/7 technical support, and no contracts.
• IoT Network as a Service (NaaS) Carrier-grade long-range, low-power IoT network for intelligent tracking, monitoring, and process efficiency applications across industries such as agriculture and golf; monitored 24/7 by in-house NOC for maximum uptime and customizable to customer needs.
• City Email Hosted Email Solutions Hosted email outsourcing service targeted at ISPs and Telcos, built on MagicMail technology, providing Anti-Spam and Virus protection, branding options, and scalable mailbox solutions from small deployments up to hundreds of thousands of mailboxes, with API integration for back-office billing systems.
• Commercial Network Services & SmartCity Applications Commercial-grade network services for businesses and SmartCity applications, providing Layer 2 and Layer 3 services over the MPLS network with certified network team support, enhanced network security, and competitive rates.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rigstar Industrial TelecomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABnet was acquired by Rigstar Industrial Telecom in 2005 and operates as part of the Rigstar organization. ABnet has evolved into a major ISP servicing rural and urban locations throughout Alberta utilizing Rigstar-owned transport circuits.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CCI Wireless: CCI Wireless operates fixed-wireless broadband networks serving rural Alberta and Western Canada. Overlaps ABnet directly on rural Alberta geography, last-mile delivery, and SMB/residential broadband value proposition.
• Platinum Communications: Platinum Communications provides internet, phone, and TV services to rural Alberta communities. Same rural Alberta footprint, similar ISP product set, and comparable municipal/community broadband positioning as ABnet.
• Xplornet Communications: Xplornet is Canada's largest rural-focused ISP, delivering fixed wireless and satellite broadband to underserved communities across multiple provinces. Directly comparable to ABnet in target customer (rural Canadian households) and product category (broadband internet), but at materially greater national scale.

Others

• Sigfox (now part of UnaBiz): Sigfox operates a global low-power wide-area IoT network similar to ABnet's IoT NaaS. Comparable as an IoT network operator using long-range, low-power technology, though at global rather than regional Alberta scale.

Emerging players

• Vmedia: Vmedia is a smaller Canadian independent ISP offering broadband, TV, and home phone services. Comparable to ABnet as a sub-1,000-employee alternative ISP competing against incumbents, though focused more on Ontario urban/suburban markets.
• TekSavvy Solutions: TekSavvy is an independent Canadian ISP offering broadband across multiple provinces using wholesale access to incumbent networks. Comparable to ABnet in being a non-incumbent ISP, but operates more as a reseller/t wholesaler rather than owning last-mile infrastructure in Alberta.

Regional players

• Eastlink (Bragg Communications): Eastlink is a regional Canadian cable/ISP serving primarily Atlantic Canada with comparable internet, TV, and phone services. Mirrors ABnet's model of a non-incumbent regional ISP with proprietary network, but in a different Canadian geography.

Broad incumbents

• Telus Communications: Telus is the incumbent telecom serving Alberta with PureFibre broadband, mobile, and SmartCity/IoT services. Competes with ABnet on residential broadband and adjacent enterprise/IoT services, but as a national incumbent offering a much broader portfolio.
• Bell Canada: Bell Canada is a national incumbent offering broadband, mobile, IoT, and hosted communications services. Comparable to ABnet across residential internet, business network services, and IoT adjacent offerings, though at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Rogers Communications (Shaw): Rogers now owns Shaw and operates extensive cable broadband, mobile, and IoT services across Alberta. Provides overlapping residential broadband and enterprise network services that increasingly target the same rural and mid-density markets as ABnet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abnet_alberta
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABnet.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ABnet