Customers in the Boise metropolitan area, also known as the Treasure Valley, will soon have another option for symmetric gigabit and higher-speed connections to the Internet. Silver Star Communications’ acquisition of Cambridge Telephone Company’s Meridian, Idaho-based, CLEC operations, known as CTC Telecom (CTC), opens the western part of Idaho to this Wyoming-based provider.
Silver Star is no stranger to Idaho, as it operates as an ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) in Driggs and Victor and is an ISP tenant on the Idaho Falls, Idaho Open Access Network. As an owner of the Idaho statewide fiber network, Syringa Networks, Silver Star Communications has had deep connections in the Gem State for decades.
Further, their 400-plus-mile-long Project Moonshot (PDF) will provide another fiber route from east to west through landmarks, such as the Idaho National Laboratory, Arco (the first town powered by nuclear energy), and the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Reserve. With the integration of CTC’s CLEC assets and employees, Silver Star will have last-mile connections in one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the nation.
Like Silver Star, Cambridge, Idaho-based CTC is a 100+-year-old, family-owned company. In the early 2000s, CTC expanded to the outskirts of the Treasure Valley to locations where other providers wouldn’t serve. Silver Star and CTC share much in common, including their roots as local service providers, broadband focus, and the use of common last-mile equipment and operating systems.
In a press release, James Wescott, CEO of Cambridge Telephone Company spoke highly of the Silver Star team and the implications of this acquisition.
“Collaborating with Silver Star has been an exciting journey as we share a mutual commitment to Idaho’s prosperity and technological advancement. It has been an honor to play a part in the rapid growth of CTC Telecom over the past few years, and I am excited for the continued evolution and impact that lies ahead for Silver Star and our community.”
In the above interview, Silver Star Communications’ president, Barbara Sessions, provides an overview of this RTFC-financed acquisition.¹ She talks about the importance of reinvesting in their network to not only support new growth but to keep it relevant in a world of ever-increasing demands.
Although the addition of CTC’s approximate 5,000 subscribers is a significant addition to Silver Star’s existing base of approximately 16,000 subscribers, the opportunity for growth is what excites Sessions. Sessions has good reason to be excited by the growth opportunities, as Ada County, home to two of Idaho’s largest cities, added 23,943 people in the two-year period ending in 2022, according to the Boise Dev.
¹ RTFC is the Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative, an organization that serves the financial needs of the rural telecommunications industry.