It’s short notice for the party – but good news for folks in Southern Minnesota…

Southern Minnesota network expansion brings opportunities
Feb 18 launch party planned during broadband conference

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Independent telecommunications companies serving southern Minnesota have joined  together to create a broadband network that will spur economic activity in the region and expand  advanced and interconnected services for new and existing business customers.

The new fiber backbone creates a robust, redundant and reliable network and leverages the thousands
of existing fiber optic miles that make up the underlying networks built and operated by each partner
company. The backbone network positions the eight participating companies, as well as rural
communities within the service territory, to compete for new business opportunities on a local, regional,
and national scale.

“We’ve put together a robust network in southern Minnesota,” says Bill Otis, president and CEO of
participating company NU-Telecom of New Ulm, Minn. “It provides additional fiber routes for our
customers as well as for businesses that want to get into our service area.”

SDN Communications of Sioux Falls, S.D., serves as the managing partner for the new network. The
southern Minnesota fiber network has a backbone of 760 miles, including about 200 miles of newly
deployed route miles. It extends across southern Minnesota from the border of South Dakota to
Wisconsin, and from south of the Twin Cities to Iowa. The next phase of expansion is expected to
connect communities in north central Iowa directly into the network.

In addition to representing a significant investment in the region’s communications infrastructure, the
robust network expands access to advanced security services, such as managed cybersecurity
prevention, Otis says. With the threat of cybercrime on the rise, this network responds to the growing
needs of Minnesota businesses.

Some of the Minnesota cities in the market area include Albert Lea, Blue Earth, Mankato, New Ulm,
Owatonna, Houston, Ruthton, Kasson, Rochester, Windom, Pipestone, and Worthington. The largely
agricultural area has a population of approximately 500,000 people.

The eight partner companies include:
• AcenTek of Houston, Minn.
• BEVCOMM of Blue Earth, Minn.
• Communications 1 of Kanawha, Iowa
• Jaguar Communications of Le Sueur, Minn.
• KMTelecom of Kasson, Minn.
• NU-Telecom of New Ulm, Minn.
• Woodstock Telephone of Ruthton, Minn.
• SDN Communications of Sioux Falls, S.D.

“By entering into this partnership, these companies have expanded their geographic reach to improve
broadband connectivity for their customers and attract new business opportunities to southern
Minnesota,” says SDN Communications CEO Mark Shlanta. “These communities were already well
served before the network expansion, but by coming together, the companies are in a stronger position
to compete for regional and national opportunities, such as serving businesses with multiple branch
locations across Minnesota and the region.”

The network also creates new opportunities to conduct business at the wholesale level with the national
wireless carriers, such as providing lit backhaul between wireless towers, which can improve
communications reliability for mobile wireless customers.

The project has been in the works since 2014. Most of the organization and new construction took place
in 2015 and the network was completed in the first quarter of 2016. The new network is open for
business and ready to attract new economic opportunities to southern Minnesota.

SDN Communications and its network partners are hosting a Network Launch Party to celebrate the
project’s completion. The program and reception is scheduled for February 18 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at
317 Washington St. in St. Paul. The event will be held following the 2016 Broadband Conference.
Minnesota state and federal leaders will join business leaders at the event to speak to the economic
opportunities to come from the network expansion.

SDN operates a 30,000-mile fiber optic network that extends throughout South Dakota and reaches
eight other states, including Minnesota.