Bug Tussel

What Bug Tussel does

Bug Tussel Wireless, LLC, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a privately held rural telecommunications provider serving residential and business customers across the state. The company builds and operates both fiber optic and fixed wireless infrastructure, with reported assets of 2,400 fiber route miles, 55 Points of Presence, and nearly 400 wireless sites spanning 18 Wisconsin counties, and has connected over 90,000 previously underserved homes and businesses since 2018 through 23 county-partnered building projects. Residential offerings include fiber tiers from 200 Mbps ($50/mo) to 2 Gbps ($120/mo) and wireless tiers from 5 Mbps ($35/mo) to 100 Mbps ($120/mo), plus a $20/mo VoIP home phone add-on, all on no-contract, unlimited data terms; the company also resells AT&T cellular, device, DIRECTV, and FirstNet products through six owned retail stores in Baraboo, Platteville, Shawano, Monroe, Marshfield, and Medford.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly subscriptions, supplemented by transactional AT&T retail revenue, a $7.99/mo managed router rental, enterprise/wholesale services (Switched Ethernet, Dedicated Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, Fixed Wireless redundancy) under the Bug Tussel Connect division, and ancillary programs including a $35-credit referral program and a Host a Tower landowner initiative. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct inside sales via phone and website, six physical retail storefronts, and direct enterprise field sales for Bug Tussel Connect. Growth is materially dependent on municipal partnerships (24 Wisconsin counties), with build-outs financed by county-issued bonds (e.g., $24M Outagamie, $14M Lafayette, $12M Marathon), WPSC grants, RDOF, and the federal BEAD program, and supported by vertical-integration assets including the 2023 acquisition of KES Excavating Services and ownership of Red Tail Tower LLC for tower construction and maintenance.

Name

Bug Tussel

Legal name

Bug Tussel Wireless, LLC

Website

https://btussel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Broadband Internet Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Agents for Wireless Telecommunications Services (517122)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wi‑Fi Backhaul & Point‑to‑Point/Point‑to‑Multipoint (Unlicensed/Microwave) (HDAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Fiber internet services
• Fixed wireless broadband
• Rural telecommunications
• Business connectivity solutions
• VoIP home phone

Headquarters

HQ city

Green Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Internet Services: Monthly subscription fees for fiber and wireless internet services to residential customers. Services include no-contract plans with no bundling required and unlimited data usage.
2. Business & Carrier Services: Enterprise-grade connectivity solutions for businesses and wholesale carriers including wavelength, dark fiber, dedicated internet access, and ethernet services through Bug Tussel Connect division.
3. AT&T Retail Products: Revenue from selling AT&T cellular plans, devices (phones, tablets, smartwatches), DIRECTV, and FirstNet services as an authorized AT&T retailer. Bug Tussel operates six AT&T retail stores in Wisconsin.
4. Hardware Rental: Managed router rental at $7.99 per month including maintenance, troubleshooting, and replacement. Also seasonal/vacation hold fees for temporarily pausing service.
5. Home Phone Add-on: VoIP home phone service offered as add-on to fiber internet plans for $20/month with unlimited local and long-distance calls, voicemail, and caller ID features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bug Tussel delivers fiber and fixed wireless broadband internet, VoIP home phone, and AT&T cellular retail services to residential customers across rural Wisconsin, while its Bug Tussel Connect division provides enterprise-grade connectivity including Switched Ethernet, Dedicated Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Wavelength, Dark Fiber, and Fixed Wireless redundancy to businesses and wholesale carriers. The company owns and operates the underlying fiber and tower infrastructure, with self-built capabilities extended through its Red Tail Tower subsidiary and KES Excavating Services acquisition.

Product overview

Bug Tussel is a rural Wisconsin-based internet service provider offering a portfolio of connectivity services through both consumer and business divisions. The consumer side provides Fiber Internet (with speeds up to 2 Gbps across four tiers: Essential 200 Mbps, Advanced 600 Mbps, Supreme 1 Gbps, and Ultimate 2 Gbps) and Wireless Internet (ranging from Starter 5 Mbps to Enterprise 100 Mbps), complemented by VoIP Home Phone service and AT&T Cellular retail offerings. The company operates Bug Tussel Connect, a business and wholesale carrier division delivering enterprise networking solutions including Switched Ethernet, Dedicated Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Wavelength, Dark Fiber, and Fixed Wireless redundancy services. Smart home functionality is delivered through the CommandIQ app, while the company also enables streaming services via AT&T DIRECTV Stream partnerships and expands rural infrastructure through its Red Tail Tower subsidiary and Host a Tower program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BTConnect: Business and wholesale carrier services brand offering Ethernet services, Dedicated Internet Access, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, and Fixed Wireless solutions for businesses.

Products and services

• Fiber Internet

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90,000 previously underserved homes and businesses connected to broadband service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• KES Excavating ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2023Bug Tussel acquired KES Excavating Services in August 2023, a Wisconsin-based excavation company. The acquisition brought their staff into Bug Tussel to help with infrastructure construction including fiber and wireless network builds.
• Red Tail Tower LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Red Tail Tower LLC for building and maintaining telecommunications towers, expanding infrastructure for reliable network performance in rural areas.
• AT&TcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBug Tussel operates as an Authorized AT&T Retailer, owning and operating six retail stores across Wisconsin. Offers AT&T cellular plans, devices, DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, FirstNet, and merchandise with products shipped directly to customers.
• Wisconsin Broadband Task ForcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Wisconsin's Broadband Task Force for $1 billion federal broadband expansion program to connect approximately 200,000 underserved locations statewide.
• Wisconsin Counties (14+ counties)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBug Tussel has partnered with 24 Wisconsin counties for broadband expansion projects. Counties provide bonding capacity and financing while Bug Tussel builds and operates the network infrastructure. Projects include Marathon County ($12M bond), Lafayette County ($14M bond), Taylor County ($5M additional borrowing), and Outagamie County ($24M bond).

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AT&T: AT&T is both a channel partner (via Bug Tussel's authorized retailer program) and a broad incumbent competitor offering fixed wireless and fiber broadband across the U.S. It is a meaningful comparable for both the retail commissions Bug Tussel earns and the rural broadband competitive dynamics.
• Lumen Technologies: Lumen operates one of the largest fiber networks in the U.S., offering wavelength, dark fiber, and Ethernet services that directly overlap with Bug Tussel Connect's wholesale carrier offerings, though Lumen serves a much broader enterprise and carrier footprint.

Direct peers

• Consolidated Communications: Consolidated Communications (now private, owned by Searchlight Capital and BCI) delivers broadband, voice, and managed services to rural and mid-market communities across 20+ states. Its rural fiber-overbuild strategy and business/wholesale service mix closely mirror Bug Tussel Connect.
• TDS Telecom: TDS Telecom (subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems) provides broadband, video, and voice services to rural and small-town communities across the U.S. Like Bug Tussel, it focuses on markets underserved by larger carriers and operates a mix of fiber and fixed wireless networks, making it a directly comparable rural ISP.
• Frontier Communications: Frontier Communications is a major rural-focused broadband provider operating fiber and copper networks across the Midwest and beyond. Its scale and rural-first go-to-market make it a direct comparable to Bug Tussel's fiber and fixed wireless service portfolio.
• Lumos (formerly Northland Communications): Lumos provides fiber-to-the-home broadband, video, and voice services to rural and small-town markets, with active expansion into underserved areas. Its fiber overbuild strategy and rural customer base closely parallel Bug Tussel's approach.
• Metronet: Metronet is a fiber-to-the-home ISP rapidly expanding across the Midwest and beyond into suburban and mid-sized markets. Its 100% fiber strategy and aggressive rural-adjacent expansion make it a relevant comparable for Bug Tussel's fiber buildout economics.
• Windstream: Windstream provides fiber-based broadband, voice, and managed network services to rural and small-business customers across the U.S. Its wholesale carrier services and Kinetic-branded residential broadband overlap directly with Bug Tussel's dual residential/business model.

Regional players

• Midcontinent Communications (Midco): Midco is a regional broadband and cable provider serving the Upper Midwest, including rural and small-town communities adjacent to Bug Tussel's Wisconsin footprint. Similar geographic and customer-segment focus makes it a strong regional comparable.
• Cellcom: Cellcom is a Wisconsin-based wireless and broadband cooperative serving rural communities across Northeast Wisconsin. Its geographic overlap with Bug Tussel and rural fixed-wireless focus makes it a directly comparable regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BarabooATT

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Bug Tussel