Upcountry Fiber

What Upcountry Fiber does

Upcountry Fiber is a 100% fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet service provider serving residential and business customers in rural Upstate South Carolina, founded in Fall 2020 as a partnership between Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (BREC) and WCFIBER, a subsidiary of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative (WCTEL). The company operates across five counties — Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg — passing 40,000+ addresses with 3,500+ miles of fiber, of which 888 miles were added in 2025 alone. Its core technology stack is a greenfield FTTH network delivering symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gbps, with direct peering at internet exchanges for lower latency, WiFi 7 routers via the WiFi X managed service, and built-in network security that blocked 618,508 web threats in a single month. The company also offers add-on residential services including phone, battery backup, and streaming guidance, and a business portfolio spanning managed network services, hosted phone solutions, IP HD TV, and security camera surveillance.

The business model is subscription-based recurring revenue across residential ($50-$125/month tiers from 250 Mbps to 8 Gbps) and business ($75-$250/month tiers from 250 Mbps to 10 Gbps) customers, supplemented by managed services and add-on subscriptions. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via website, phone (888-760-2111), and local offices in Seneca and Abbeville, with no third-party resellers. The company is privately held under cooperative ownership with no venture capital or public-equity investors; capital sources are internally funded buildout ($150M+ planned over 5-7 years), the $32M South Carolina Broadband Office grant (March 2024), and prior American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Co-CEO leadership is shared between Jim Lovinggood (BREC) and Chris Townson (West Carolina, appointed February 2025). Current customer count stands at 24,000+ with nearly 6,000 added in 2025, and total broadband investment since 2021 is reported at $76 million. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Upcountry Fiber

Legal name

Upcountry Fiber

Website

https://upcountryfiber.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upcountry Fiber is a 100% fiber-to-the-home internet service provider in rural Upstate South Carolina, serving 24,000+ residential and business customers across Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties through a cooperative partnership between Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and WCFIBER.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fiber-to-the-Home Internet Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Operators (HDAIACAB), Municipal & Community Broadband Networks (HDAIACAE)

Keywords

• Fiber internet services
• Broadband telecommunications
• Residential fiber plans
• Business managed services
• Hosted phone solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Seneca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Internet Service: Monthly subscription for high-speed fiber internet to residential customers with speeds from 250 Mbps to 8 Gbps. No contracts, no data caps, free installation.
2. Business Internet Service: Commercial-grade fiber internet for businesses with higher service levels, starting at $75/month for 250 Mbps up to $250/month for 10 Gbps.
3. Phone Service: Local and long-distance phone service requiring internet subscription. Local calling at $25/month plus $5.95/month for long distance.
4. WiFi X Add-on Service: Premium WiFi management service with commercial-grade router, security features, and parental controls for $9.99/month.
5. Managed IT Services: Professional services including network security, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, and cloud backup for business customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Upcountry Fiber provides 100% fiber-to-the-home internet service with symmetrical speeds from 250 Mbps to 10 Gbps for residential and business customers in five Upstate South Carolina counties. Its offering is complemented by home phone service, the WiFi X managed WiFi platform, cloud-hosted business phone, and managed IT services including network security, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, and business camera surveillance.

Product overview

Upcountry Fiber is a fiber internet service provider operating as a partnership between Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (BREC) and WCFIBER (a subsidiary of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative). The company offers a unified portfolio of connectivity services centered on residential and business fiber internet, complemented by phone services and WiFi management. For residential customers, the core offering is high-speed fiber internet (250 Mbps to 8 Gbps) with no data caps, supplemented by the WiFi X managed WiFi service (including a mobile app, security features, and parental controls), home phone service, streaming resources, and battery backup options. For business customers, Upcountry Fiber provides commercial-grade internet, managed network services (including cloud hosting and disaster recovery), hosted phone solutions with tiered feature packages, IP HD TV, and security camera surveillance. The company serves five counties in Upstate South Carolina and was established in Fall 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WiFi X: A total home WiFi experience service featuring a commercial-grade WiFi 7 router, network security, parental controls, and a mobile app for managing home network.

Products and services

• Residential Fiber Internet High-speed fiber-to-the-home internet service for residential customers with symmetrical speeds ranging from 250 Mbps to 8 Gbps, no data caps, no contracts, and free installation; speeds up to 10 Gbps available.
• Business Internet Commercial-grade fiber internet service for businesses with symmetrical speeds from 250 Mbps to 10 Gbps, higher service levels than residential, dedicated bandwidth, and small business WiFi / wireless access point solutions.
• WiFi X Managed Home WiFi Managed home WiFi service featuring a commercial-grade WiFi 7 router, a mobile app for network management, built-in network security protection, and parental controls for $9.99/month (WiFi Extended at $14.99/month adds an extender).
• Home Phone Service Premium home, long distance, and international phone service requiring Upcountry Fiber internet, including local calling at $25/month and long distance add-on at $5.95/month, with voicemail and various calling features.
• Hosted Phone Solutions Cloud-based business communications solution with scalable voice service, smartphone integration, auto attendant, voicemail-to-email, and tiered feature packages (Basic, Standard, Premium) for business customers.
• Standard Analog Line (Business) Non-hosted standard analog phone line with voicemail included for $29.95/month, requiring Upcountry Fiber business internet service.
• Managed Network Services IT professional services including proactive network monitoring, secure firewall setup, network management, hardware/software updates, cloud hosting solutions, and disaster recovery for business customers.
• Business Security Cameras Surveillance camera systems with a wide selection of equipment, customizable protection options, and 24/7 professional video monitoring services for business facilities.
• IP HD TV (Business) IP-based high-definition television service for business customers delivered over the Upcountry Fiber network.
• 24-hour WiFi Battery Backup Add-on battery backup service providing up to 24 hours of phone and WiFi connectivity during power outages for $6.95/month.

Quantifiable outcome

• Symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gbps available
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Clemson University LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Partnership for second annual drawing contest. Clemson Libraries hosts artist reception at Cooper Library, celebrating community creativity and local artists across Upstate.
• Oconee County Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Upcountry Fiber sponsored Propel Business Lab, a 12-week entrepreneurial program empowering local small-business owners with tools and confidence to grow their businesses.
• Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (BREC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020BREC partnered with WCFIBER to create Upcountry Fiber, bringing high-speed fiber internet to the Blue Ridge service area. BREC serves electricity to Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties with nearly 68,000 customers.
• WCFIBER (West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020WCFIBER, a subsidiary of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, provides telecommunications expertise and fiber network capabilities for Upcountry Fiber. WCTEL has served telecommunications since 1952.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UpcountryFiber
• Facebookfacebook.com/UpcountryFiber
• Instagraminstagram.com/upcountryfiber

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 Upcountry Fiber