Rural Wisconsin businesses gain high-speed net access

Rural Wisconsin businesses gain high-speed net access

MADISON – SupraNet Communications, Inc., an Internet service provider, recently added a third OC12 connection to their physical infrastructure, allowing them to provide Internet services to businesses in outlying communities that previously have had very few options.
The new OC12 from Charter Business Networks expands SupraNet’s capabilities to provide service to businesses throughout the southern half of state where Charter has a fiber presence. The expanded service will allow SupraNet to provide Internet service to businesses that have high bandwidth requirements or multiple office locations.
“Many businesses require rapid, efficient and reliable network connectivity in order to stay competitive or grow their business,” said Bryan Chan, president and chief executive officer of SupraNet, in a statement. “Before, they only had two options. They could either contract with a large, national ISP that has the technology but is skimpy on personal service; or, they could choose a small, local ISP that may provide the service but can’t provide the breadth of technology. Now, with SupraNet in the market, these companies can have more control over their business and get both service and technology.”
According to Tim Duhr, business development manager at SupraNet, 1,000 business located in rural southern Wisconsin have been identified as marketing targets for the OC12 connection.
“[The new connection] gives us the ability to use Charter’s Business Network as means to connect the customer to SupraNet,” Duhr said. “Other options, like telephone companies and those connections, are typically more expensive and cost prohibitive in many instances.”
Rockford Mutual Insurance, located in Rockford, has benefited from the new connection since it signed onto the service at the end of May. The company also co-locates its servers at SupraNet’s office in Madison.
“By using SupraNet, we were able to double Internet connection’s capacity, and I’m looking forward to some better uptime as well,” said Gary Kasakaitas, IT manager for Rockford Mutual Insurance. “[SupraNet provides] all the services of a major hosting facility for a fraction of the price we were quoted other places.”
In the future, Duhr said SupraNet plans to continue offering services to rural areas, including managed mail, voice over IP, managed wide-area networks and disaster recovery.