McKinley Reserve and Bug Tussel Wireless recently announced the formation of a new telecommunications company: Hilbert Communications, LLC. The new telecom company will operate in downtown Green Bay and Hilbert, Wisconsin.

 

The new provider is one of the largest rural telecommunications firms in the country, the two companies said.

 

Todd Thiel, president of McKinley Reserve, said that the company is entering the rural telecom market with the Bug Tussel group of companies because of its commitment and innovation in the rural telecom markets.

 

Steve Schneider, president of Bug Tussel Wireless, explained that his company’s short-term plans involve deploying more than 200 wireless sites and close to 1,000 miles of access to fiber-optic facilities by the end of 2007.

 

Bug Tussel Wireless, which provides wholesale wireless service to large national carriers such as AT&T (News - Alert) Mobility and T-Mobile,  plans to add to its services retail wireless, high-speed Internet and other telecom offerings in select rural markets.

 

“McKinley Reserve and its family of companies bring together the resources and execution to create a world-class telecommunications company,” said Governor Thompson in a statement.

 

Thompson continued: “Hilbert Communications is charting exponential growth over the next five to seven years, bringing quality telecom services to un-served and underserved rural markets. The new company will invigorate the local economy with many new jobs and provide long awaited wireless technology to the region.”

 

McKinley Reserve is a Hilbert, Wisconsin-based private equity firm with interests in a number of diverse worldwide business activities.

 

Bug Tussel is a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based wireless carrier serving rural Wisconsin.

 

---

---