Rural Connect

NRTC offers Rural Connect as a place for its members and others interested to follow all topics related to communications technology and how it affects rural electric cooperatives and telecommunications providers. NRTC uses this blog to announce and discuss its products and services. NRTC posts all Rural Connect content on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, where you can use the blog to discuss technology, regulatory, legislative and business issues.

Nov 23, 2020

NRTC Mobile Solutions Now Offering Rural 5G Service

by Randy Sukow

Starting this month, NRTC Mobile Solutions, a turnkey mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), is offering all resellers the opportunity to introduce 5G mobile voice and data services in their areas. 5G offers data transmission and internet access at up to 20 times the speed of current 4G service. Af...

Nov 18, 2020

Commission Moves to “Supersize Wi-Fi”

by Randy Sukow

The FCC today made 45 MHz in the 5.9 GHz band (5.850-5.925 GHz) available for unlicensed communications. As the demand for wireless broadband communications increases, users will be able to access the enhanced spectrum allotment for Wi-Fi connections immediately after the order becomes effective in ...

Nov 17, 2020

Pandemic Needs Drive New Managed Services Solutions

by Randy Sukow

The nine months of COVID-19 precautions have led to increased working from home and surging demand for broadband services. At the same time, the pandemic also has had some regrettable effects, especially a sharp increase in cybercrime. NRTC Managed Services has been following all the trends and adju...

Nov 16, 2020

Electrics With Broadband Experience Point the Way in Benchmarking Report

by Randy Sukow

NRTC last week introduced the “Rural Electric Cooperative Broadband Benchmarking Report.” The 47-page report provides a user-friendly summary of data rural electric cooperatives need to plan broadband projects, covering fiber optic and wireless technologies, construction costs, operational proce...

Nov 11, 2020

CFC Webinar Is a Meeting of Cooperative and Corporate Minds

by Randy Sukow

The latest guest for CFC’s Virtual Executive Conversation Series, held yesterday, was former Honeywell Chairman and CEO David Cote. It was the chance for a cooperative audience to pick up ideas and ask questions of a successful figure from the corporate world. The co-op figure CFC chose to intervi...

Nov 2, 2020

20 Years Later, NRTC Mobile Solutions Stands by Its Rural Mobile Vision

by Randy Sukow

Curtis Knobloch does not claim to be the inventor of the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) concept, but he will take credit for shaping the idea to fit rural America. In November 2020, NRTC Mobile Solutions celebrates its 20th anniversary. Knobloch planned the business model and gathered a grou...

Nov 2, 2020

Dynetics Opens Eyes to Danger of Real-world Cyberattacks

by Randy Sukow

There are many reasons why people with bad intentions break into a computer networks – financial, political, industrial espionage or some other form of malice. But whatever the reason, there is nothing like seeing a live simulated cyberattack in real time to drive home how vulnerable organizations...

Oct 29, 2020

Michael Brown Gives NRTC a Network Architecture Advantage

by Randy Sukow

NRTC in October greeted Michael Brown, a long-time telecom industry veteran, who becomes Vice President of Engineering in the company’s Broadband Solutions group. Brown’s main focus is on technical architecture for broadband services, especially “internet services, voice services, and architec...

Oct 28, 2020

Commission Adopts 5G Fund Rules, but Auction Start Date is Unknown

by Randy Sukow

The FCC during yesterday’s monthly agenda meeting adopted the rules for a $9 billion “5G Fund,” a universal service program to distribute support for high-speed mobile networks to cover rural America. The rules will be similar to rules set for the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund (RDOF) revers...

Oct 27, 2020

David Primmer to Lead NRTC Supply Chain Streamlining

by Randy Sukow

NRTC recently welcomed David Primmer to the newly created post of vice president of Vendor and Supply Chain Management. He comes to NRTC at a time when it is expecting significant growth in some business sectors. It is examining changes to its supply chain process to ensure members get efficient del...

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