Lismore Coop Telephone Co

What Lismore Coop Telephone Co does

Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company is a rural Minnesota telecommunications cooperative founded in 1907 in Lismore, Minnesota, making it one of the earliest telephone cooperatives in the United States. The cooperative provides fiber optic internet, broadband, fixed wireless, voice, and enterprise communications services to residential and business subscribers across Nobles County, Minnesota. Its service area encompasses approximately 275 telephone subscribers and extends broadband/wireless coverage across 13+ towns via fixed wireless infrastructure.

The cooperative's core technology stack centers on a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network completed in 2018, following an initial fiber upgrade initiated in 2009 with USDA Rural Utilities Service funding. Digital switching has been in place since 1985. Service tiers span residential fiber internet from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps at $47.95-$129.95/month, business internet at $69.95-$249.95/month, traditional voice service, and enterprise offerings including SIP trunking and hosted communications delivered through a 2012 partnership with Voyant/Zone Telecom via a dedicated business entity (LISMORE COOP. TELEPHONE CO. Business, LLC). SmartHub provides online bill pay, and the cooperative participates in the federal Lifeline Program.

The cooperative operates under a member-owned governance model with a board of directors (Troy Veld as President, Gene Metz as Vice-President, Mark Loosbrock as Secretary/Treasurer, plus six additional directors) and a small management team led by General Manager Travis Halbur, with Tarri Joens (Office Manager) and Sarah Hendel (Business Manager). Three field technicians support operations. Revenue derives from recurring monthly subscriptions across voice, broadband, and enterprise services, supplemented by federal Universal Service/Lifeline support and ancillary sales such as backup batteries. In 2025, the cooperative divested its Verizon Wireless cellular retail agency, refocusing on core wireline and fiber operations.

Name

Lismore Coop Telephone Co

Legal name

LISMORE COOP. TELEPHONE CO. Business, LLC

Website

https://lismoretel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company is a rural Minnesota telecommunications cooperative founded in 1907 providing fiber optic, broadband, fixed wireless, and voice services to residential and business subscribers across Nobles County, Minnesota, serving approximately 275 telephone customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Telecommunications Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG)

Keywords

• Rural telephone service
• Fiber optic internet
• Fixed wireless broadband
• Home phone service
• Local telecommunications cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Lismore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Internet Service (Fiber & Wireless): Monthly subscription fees for residential and business fiber optic internet and fixed wireless internet services. Plans range from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps with unlimited data. Connection/install fees charged at signup.
2. Voice / Home Phone Service: Monthly subscription for home phone service with unlimited talk and long distance, no contract, no hidden fees. One-time equipment charge of $39.99.
3. Backup Battery Sales: Sale of 8-hour backup batteries for home phone services at approximately $30 per unit to maintain voice service during power outages.
4. SIP Trunking & Hosted Communications (Enterprise): Enterprise voice and SIP trunking services offered to business customers, including bundled minutes and tariff-based pricing for long distance and toll-free services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company is a rural telephone cooperative that provides local and long-distance voice telephone service, fiber optic and broadband internet access (10 Mbps to 1 Gbps), and fixed wireless internet to residential and business customers in Nobles County, Minnesota. The company also sells backup batteries for home phones and participates in the federal Lifeline Program for low-income subscribers, all under a no-contract, no-hidden-fee pricing model.

Product overview

Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company is a rural telecommunications cooperative offering a multi-product portfolio centered on internet and voice services. The core offerings include Lismore Fiber (fiber optic internet available exclusively in Lismore area with speeds from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps for residential and business), Lismore Broadband (fixed internet throughout Lismore and surrounding area with similar speed tiers), and Lismore Wireless (wireless internet serving 13 communities including Adrian, Worthington, and surrounding areas). Supporting services include Lismore Voice home phone service with unlimited long distance, local telephone features (call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail), and backup battery solutions. The company also participates in the federal Lifeline Program for low-income assistance. All plans offer unlimited data with optional managed router add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lismore Broadband: Fiber optic and broadband internet service offered by Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company, completed in 2018, supplying fiber optic internet to homes and businesses along the fiber loop in Lismore and surrounding areas.
• Lismore Wireless
• Lismore Voice

Products and services

• Lismore Fiber Internet Service Fiber-to-the-premises internet service for residential and business customers in the Lismore area, offered in speed tiers from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps with unlimited data, no contract, and an optional managed router add-on.
• Lismore Broadband Internet Service Fixed broadband internet service available throughout Lismore and surrounding areas, offered in residential and business speed tiers from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps with unlimited data, no contract, and optional managed router.
• Lismore Wireless Internet Service Fixed wireless broadband internet for residential and business customers in 13 towns and surrounding areas of Nobles County, Minnesota (Adrian, Avoca, Bigelow, Brewster, Chandler, Ellsworth, Fulda, Iona, Lismore, Magnolia, Rushmore, Wilmont, and Worthington), offered in speed tiers from 10 Mbps to 50 Mbps with unlimited data.
• Lismore Voice Home Phone Service Residential home phone service offering unlimited talk and unlimited long distance with no contract and no hidden fees, with a one-time $39.99 equipment charge.
• Local Telephone Services Local telephone service with feature set including Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Speed Calling, Three-Way Calling, VoiceMail, and online voicemail access, for residential and business customers in the Lismore exchange.
• 8-Hour Backup Battery Backup battery unit (approximately $30) for home phone services to maintain voice service and 911 emergency access during power outages, available for pickup at the Lismore office or shipped directly.
• Lifeline Program (Federal Universal Service Fund Discount) Government assistance program administered through the cooperative providing a $5.25 monthly discount for voice telephone service and a $9.25 monthly discount for qualified broadband service to eligible low-income customers, with additional discounts for residents of Tribal Lands.
• SIP Trunking and Hosted Communications Enterprise voice services including SIP trunking and hosted communications with bundled minutes and tariff-based pricing for long distance and toll-free services, offered to business customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 275 telephone subscribers served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Voyant (Zone Telecom / LISMORE COOP. TELEPHONE CO. Business, LLC)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Voyant (formerly Zone Telecom, LLC) is referenced as the entity providing hosted communications and SIP trunking services. On December 12, 2012, Zone Telecom, LLC changed its name to LISMORE COOP. TELEPHONE CO. Business, LLC, indicating an organizational integration relationship.
• Rural Utilities Service (USDA)coreOthers · 1 January 2009Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company is a recipient of Federal Financial Assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. RUS support enabled infrastructure upgrades including the 2009 fiber optic line deployment and 2018 fiber-to-premises network.
• Midwest WirelessminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1995In 1995, the company transitioned its cellular retail agency from Cellular 2000 to Midwest Wireless, continuing its role as a wireless retail agent in the regional market.
• Verizon WirelessminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1995Following its partnership with Midwest Wireless, Lismore Telephone eventually became a cellular retail agent for Verizon Wireless, representing a significant step up in brand recognition and service scope. In 2025 the business was sold.
• Cellular 2000minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1990In 1990, Lismore Telephone became a cellular retail agent for Cellular 2000, marking its entry into wireless services. This represented an early diversification beyond wireline telephone service.
• Chrome BatteryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLismore Coop Telephone Co partners with Chrome Battery for backup battery procurement, directing customers to their website (chromebattery.com) to order replacement batteries for home phone backup power systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Arvig: Minnesota-based family-owned rural telecom offering fiber, wireless, and voice services across central and western Minnesota, directly comparable to Lismore Coop's residential and small-business broadband footprint in the same state.
• Paul Bunyan Communications: Rural cooperative fiber-to-the-home provider in northern Minnesota; comparable cooperative structure, fiber deployment model, and residential/business broadband positioning.
• Midco (Midcontinent Communications): Regional broadband provider serving rural and mid-sized communities across Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota with cable/fiber internet, phone, and business services — same go-to-market and product mix.

Others

• Starlink (SpaceX): Satellite-based broadband service increasingly adopted in rural Minnesota; represents a non-fiber competitive alternative that erodes the addressable market for fixed wireless and fiber providers like Lismore Coop.
• Viasat: Satellite broadband provider targeting rural U.S. households; competes for the same underserved rural internet customers via a different delivery technology (satellite vs. fiber/wireless).

Broad incumbents

• Frontier Communications: Large incumbent telecom with significant rural fiber footprint across the U.S., including Minnesota; overlaps with Lismore's voice and broadband services but at vastly greater scale.
• Consolidated Communications: Incumbent ILEC providing voice, fiber broadband, and business services across rural and mid-sized markets, including parts of Minnesota; broader portfolio but overlapping service categories.

Emerging players

• LTD Broadband: Minnesota-based rural fixed wireless internet service provider (WISP); competes for the same rural wireless customers Lismore serves in Nobles County, often at lower price points.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lismoretelephone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lismore-coop-telephone-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Lismore Coop Telephone Co