CCA: Please tell us about your company. 

United Wireless: United Wireless Communications, Inc., (United) is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Telephone Association, Inc., a member-owned cooperative headquartered in Dodge City, Kansas. Founded in 1951 and celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, United and its 67 employees serve over 17,000 residential and business customers in Southwest Kansas with fiber internet, streaming TV, fixed wireless internet, and mobile wireless services.

CCA: How does your local connection influence business or network decisions? 

United: Because United is a member-owned cooperative, every decision we make is made with the best interests of our Southwest Kansas member-owners in mind, and that local connection has shaped our decisions from the very beginning. In 1951, United Telephone Association, Inc., was organized by local farmers after Southwestern Bell showed no interest in providing rural telephone service in the rural areas surrounding Dodge City. When the big national wireless carriers showed limited interest in investing in rural Southwest Kansas decades later, we followed that same principle — launching our own wireless network in 2005 to ensure our communities had reliable coverage. 

In 2023, United completed the deployment of fiber to all its ILEC exchanges. In addition to providing fiber internet and voice services to these exchanges, this robust fiber network also equips United with backhaul to its cell sites, powering fixed wireless internet and mobile wireless connectivity throughout the region. 

United is proud to offer robust cellular coverage with over 110 cell sites throughout its 17-county footprint, many equipped with 5G. Deploying connectivity to our rural communities is expensive, but we believe Southwest Kansans deserve reliable, affordable access to the full benefits of modern technology, even if the big carriers are only now showing an interest in serving the area. Because all our employees and technicians live and work in Southwest Kansas, we are also able to respond much more quickly in the event of service disruptions or emergencies, from fixing fiber cuts to deploying our “cell on wheels” to provide cellular coverage to first responders and residents in towns hit by tornadoes and other weather events.

CCA: What drives your decisions to make operational changes and upgrades to compete with the national carriers? 

United: Our operational decisions are driven by a balance of customer expectations (where a larger group of customers reasonably needs cellular service to work), long-term sustainability (with every expenditure, we have to weigh whether it increases ROI for our member-owners), and competitive realities (are we able to compete in this area where we will be spending money, or is that expenditure an unnecessary risk?). While we monitor what national carriers are doing, our focus is on making smart, intentional decisions and upgrades that deliver meaningful value and an improved customer experience, rather than change for change’s sake.

CCA: What do you believe United Wireless does operationally or culturally differently from larger carriers — and why does that matter to your customers?

United: It is part of our mission to strengthen our Southwest Kansas communities, and we take that very seriously in our support of local organizations, charities, schools, leagues, and community events. Our employees are active in their communities, and we support community events throughout the year. Our customers know when someone is just talking the talk and not walking the walk – we do our part to truly make a positive, meaningful impact for residents and organizations in our area.

CCA: United Wireless is an active member of CCA’s Business Innovation Group (BIG). How has your involvement on this committee and with CCA benefited your company?

United: United’s involvement with CCA and the BIG has been valuable from both strategic and practical standpoints. The BIG helps United access new and innovative products that we can implement in our business and provides a peer-driven forum where regional carriers can share ideas, challenges, and real-world solutions that we can implement in our day-to-day operations. 

We have implemented more than one solution that has been presented in the BIG. More broadly, CCA gives us a strong collective voice on policy and regulatory issues that directly impact rural and regional carriers. Access to timely insights, advocacy, and a trusted network of peers helps us compete and implement solutions that create real value for our member-owners, customers, and the communities we serve.

To contribute content, please contact comms@ccamobile.org. (CCA members only.)