MANKATO, Minn. – August 4, 2010 – HickoryTech Corporation (Nasdaq: HTCO) today announced it will offer Digital TV and higher-speed Internet services in Madison Lake, Minn.. Recently, HickoryTech upgraded its broadband infrastructure within this community to offer Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service to residents and faster high-speed DSL Internet. As part of the broadband infrastructure upgrade, HickoryTech significantly increased DSL speeds in Madison Lake now offering DSL Pro at 9 Mbps and DSL Prime at a 6 Mbps download speeds.
"As we continue to improve our broadband network and expand our Digital TV service area, we’re excited to provide Madison Lake residents a superior entertainment service and faster-speed DSL,” said Damon Dutz, president of HickoryTech's Consumer and Network Solutions Division.
It’s great for Madison Lake residents to have a choice for their television services,” commented Kelly Steele, city administrator of Madison Lake. “It’s been a very efficient process working with HickoryTech.”
HickoryTech will demonstrate its Digital TV service on Monday, August 9 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Point Pleasant Resort Banquet Hall in Madison Lake. The event will include free food and product demonstrations and HickoryTech staff will be available to answer questions regarding the new advanced service offering. The first 200 guests will receive a free Minnesota Twins t-shirt.
Residents may subscribe to HickoryTech’s Digital TV as a stand-alone service or as part of a money-saving Select bundle. The signal offers a crystal-clear image and premium channel options including: sports and Hispanic tiers, pay-per-view and commercial-free music programming. The IPTV platform offers interactive media, such as weather and news on-demand via your remote control.
HickoryTech’s Digital TV service includes:
- Customized TV packages, allowing customers to choose their channels to create a package or subscribe to a premium package with more than 200 digital channels, including commercial-free music
- Digital Video Recorder (DVR) service
- More than 45 high-definition ( HD) channels
- State-of-the-art set-top boxes – a single set-top box will support multiple video streams or televisions
- Caller ID displayed directly on the television screen
- Universal remote controls with onscreen program guide for all TVs
- Easy-to-use parental controls to block programs by specific channel or rating
Madison Lake has approximately 365 households within its city limits and is located 14 miles northeast of Mankato, Minn., the company headquarters location. HickoryTech provides Digital TV service to 17 Minnesota communities including: Amboy, Eagle Lake, Ellendale, Faribault, Garden City, Janesville, Lake Crystal, Madison Lake, Mapleton, Mankato, New Richland, Nicollet, North Mankato, St. Peter, St. Clair, Vernon Center and Waseca.
About HickoryTech
HickoryTech Corporation (dba HickoryTech and Enventis) is a leading integrated communications provider in the markets it serves. With headquarters in Mankato, Minn., the corporation has approximately 450 employees and a regional fiber network with facilities-based operations in Minnesota and Iowa. Enventis serves businesses of all sizes across a five-state region with IP-based voice, data and network solutions. HickoryTech provides bundled residential and business services including high-speed Internet, Digital TV and voice services in its legacy telecom markets. The Company trades on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, symbol: HTCO, and is included in the Russell 2000 index. For more information, visit
www.hickorytech.com.