Mammoth Networks is picking up the slack for Internet services to rural ISP; thereby, bypassing large incumbent service providers and reducing the cost to the consumer. I bet that will spur a competitive response from the incumbents once Mammoth aggregates enough ISP. This business model is a great example of recognizing a market hole and filling it.
By STEVE MCMANAMEN, News-Record Writer [email protected]
Gillette, and Wyoming in general, sometimes can be a little behind when it comes to getting new things.
Whether it is seeing a new movie, buying the newest cell phone or getting our first Starbucks, Gillette residents are prepared to wait.
By the time the latest trend shows up in Gillette, it’s often old news in big cities. It is one of the prices we pay for the open spaces, small-town atmosphere and the countless other amenities of living in Wyoming.
That disparity was clear when the Internet started rolling across the country a few decades ago. The cost of providing Internet to a few homes and businesses in far-away rural places was not at the top of the list for big Internet provider companies. But where the big companies saw high costs and few customers, a few in Gillette saw opportunity. Visionary Communications booted up in 1994 and prospered by offering Internet services to Gillette and rural customers.
As the Internet grew to become an integral part of our society, bringing with it high-speed DSL, the Gillette company thrived. Visionary CEO Brian Worthen has now co-founded a spinoff company — Mammoth Networks — in 2005 to again go where the bigger companies wouldn’t, or at least wouldn’t go for a reasonable price.
