Comporium Celebrates 125 Years of Service to Customers

ROCK HILL, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comporium, one of the nation’s leading independent telecom providers, will celebrate its 125th anniversary on December 10, 2019. Headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., the company serves over 134,000 residential and business customers in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Comporium’s history dates back to 1894, when its parent organization, Rock Hill Telephone Company, was issued its charter by the State of South Carolina. The business was sold to E.L. and Mary Barnes in 1912; a total of 433 lines were in operation at that time. As the communications industry advanced, so did the company’s service offerings to customers. To reflect this growth, RHTC and 10 affiliated businesses became known as Comporium Group in 2001. The rebranding and reorganization signaled a new era for the privately-held company, where the fifth generation of the Barnes family is currently on the job and leading Comporium into the future.

“Regardless of whether industry changes brought major shifts to the marketplace or the latest advances to consumers, Comporium has remained at the forefront of telecommunications through strategic planning, commitment to constant innovation and devotion to customer service,” stated Comporium’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Dosch. “It’s a combination of dedicated employees and innovative thought that’s allowed us to evolve and respond to the changing world around us.”

Over the past 125 years, evolving technology meant many privately-owned telecoms were faced with major challenges. In order to keep pace with larger competitors, Comporium successfully transitioned its primary line of business from twisted pair to fiber, bringing leading-edge services to areas of the Carolinas that may not otherwise have had such resources.

The company’s numerous accomplishments serve as a testimony to the vision and diligence of its leaders and employees. Notable highlights from Comporium’s 125-year history include:

• Comporium was an industry leader in installing fiber-optic cable and provided direct connection to residences with fiber services.

• The company was the first provider in South Carolina to launch 1GB internet service.

• CN2, Comporium’s local television station, won an Emmy for “Television News Programming Excellence” at the 2014 Southeast Regional EMMYⓇ Awards.

• Comporium won the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2018 Family Business Award.

Today, Comporium provides a host of solutions to its residential and business customers. These include internet, voice, digital video, wireless, security monitoring and home automation, computer network services, and structured wiring and cabling. Areas served in South Carolina include York, Lancaster and Chester counties and parts of Lexington, Saluda, Edgefield, Orangeburg, Calhoun and Aiken counties. In North Carolina, full services are provided in Transylvania County and parts of Mecklenburg and Union Counties. Business services are available throughout the Charlotte metro region.

As Comporium looks to the future and how it will meet customer demands in coming years, the company is poised to release several new products. A recent partnership with Alarm.Com brings with it exciting new options for customers with ReadyHome, Comporium’s security and home automation service. Subscribers who are signed up for the company’s video product will soon have access to a new streaming video service that will have an over the top (OTT) feel. Comporium STREAM TV, is planned to launch to customers in the first quarter of 2020 and will provide live tv via an internet-based app. The company is also working to innovate its original product offering, voice, offering cloud-based business services outside of its traditional service footprint.

Behind the scenes, Comporium has recently made significant investments in upgrading its core network. Replacing hardware and upgrade connections, the company has moved to a mesh network. This means an even more reliable network for both residential and business customers. Comporium is also overhauling its Business Support System, sometimes referred to as its billing system. Both of these projects, expected to be completed during the next year, will give the company better tools to serve its customers now and in the future.

About Comporium

Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified, privately-held communications company that employs nearly 1,100 people and provides broadband, TV, voice, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services throughout the Carolinas. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.

Contacts

Matthew Dosch
Comporium
Phone: 803-326-7287
matt.dosch@comporium.com

Comporium® and AirTies to Bring Enhanced Whole-Home WiFi to Subscribers in the Carolinas

Rock Hill, S.C and Sunnyvale, CA – February 7, 2018 – Comporium, a leading provider of internet, TV, security and home security monitoring and automation (SMA), and phone services to customers in South Carolina and North Carolina, announced today that it has chosen AirTies, the most widely deployed provider of managed WiFi Mesh solutions to global service providers, to deliver ultra-performance, whole-home WiFi Mesh to its subscribers.

Unlike traditional WiFi, which relies on a single WiFi Access Point (AP) on a home gateway/router, Comporium will use multiple Mesh Extenders from AirTies to create an intelligent Mesh WiFi Mesh network throughout subscribers’ homes to deliver fast and consistent, whole-home Internet coverage. AirTies’ elegant and compact Air 4920s use AirTies’ Mesh Software, which ensures consumers’ devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) continually connect to the best available extender and frequency band (2.4GHz and 5GHz), based on real-time network usage. Comporium will also use AirTies’ Remote View, a cloud-based platform that provides key in-home WiFi performance data and analytics to improve the consumer experience.

Comporium offers a range of internet plans to subscribers, including Zipstream 1 Gigabit service in select areas, a premier internet plan that delivers the high speeds of over 100 times faster than the average plan. A two-device kit for Comporium’s Whole Home WiFi, using AirTies’ Mesh System, will be offered for $9.99 per month to new or existing customers who upgrade to higher tier internet service plans.

“Comporium is committed to bringing the highest quality experience to our subscribers, and we’re particularly excited about whole-home WiFi,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Dosch. “We know our customers want superfast internet everywhere in their homes, and WiFi Mesh can make that happen. As a global leader in WiFi Mesh technology, wWe’re very pleased to be deploying AirTies’ products to enhance the performance and reliability of WiFi coverage throughout our customers’ homes.”

“For more than a century, Comporium has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to serving their customers, and today’s announcement is further proof of their forward-thinking,” said Philippe Alcaras, CEO of AirTies. “Today’s super-connected homes deserve ultra-fast WiFi that works in every corner of the home, and our Managed Mesh system was designed to do just that. We’re proud to have been chosen by Comporium to help them deliver a new class of whole-home WiFi to their subscribers.”

A 2017 survey of 1,050 respondents, with multiple WiFi users per home, commissioned by AirTies and conducted by Qualtrics, found that seventy-eight percent (78%) of respondents would prefer if their Internet Service Providers provided them with their in-home WiFi networking gear, versus purchasing it themselves through retail outlets. The survey also found that the majority of consumers would consider upgrading their internet service plans, or even paying extra, for a premium WiFi experience that improves performance throughout the entire home.

With operations around the globe, AirTies provides premium in-home WiFi solutions to leading international service providers, such as Atlantic Broadband, AT&T, Frontier, Midco, Singtel, Sky (SKY Q in the UK; Germany; Italy; and New Zealand), Swisscom, Vodafone, and many others. With AirTies, operators can seize new opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, drive incremental revenue, and differentiate with new classes of premium WiFi services. AirTies also recently announced it was expanding its North American presence with a new R&D center in Austin, Texas.

Additional information about Comporium is available at: www.Comporium.com. Additional information about AirTies can be found at: www.AirTies.com.

About Comporium
Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified, privately-held communications company that employs nearly 1,200 people and provides data, video, voice, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services throughout the Carolinas. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing fiber transport and business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home/car services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.

About AirTies
Founded in 2004, AirTies is the most widely deployed provider of Managed WiFi Mesh solutions to operators around the globe. AirTies designs and develops software and hardware that wirelessly streams Internet connections and high definition video to multiple rooms and screens. Its award winning technology enables seamless wireless integration at the touch of a button, increased wireless speeds, and coverage throughout subscribers’ entire homes. AirTies has an installed base of over 15 million devices worldwide. AirTies’ customers include: Atlantic Broadband, Frontier, Midco, Singtel, Sky (SKY Q in the UK; Germany; Italy; and New Zealand), Swisscom, Vodafone, Waoo, and many other operators. More information is available at www.AirTies.com.

System Upgrades Mean much Faster Internet Service

Comporium Upgrades Broadband Network across Transylvania County

 
BREVARD, N.C. – Transylvania County broadband customers with Comporium now can get download speeds up to 35x faster.  Any address that is served by the company’s TV system can now get up to 400 Mbps Internet download speeds and higher speeds are planned.

The first phase of a three-year project to upgrade Comporium’s internet infrastructure was completed in October for the majority of Transylvania County. This project upgraded the TV system to a full two-way, 1-GHz service allowing for significantly faster cable modem internet speeds.  Compared to the older DSL system with speeds of 7 Mbps to 11 Mbps, cable modem service is a leap forward, far surpassing what many rural customers are used to.

“These upgrades reinvent the internet experience for most of our customers,” stated Frank Porter, general manager and city executive for Comporium’s Brevard operations. “They also show our commitment to Transylvania County and its citizens.  In fact, during the past 9 years Comporium has increased internet speeds for the majority of its customers by over 800%.”

There are over 15,000 homes in phase one of the upgraded TV service area capable of receiving the new cable modem service.  Nearly 8,000 DSL customers have been converted to the new cable modem, a process that is free of charge.  Comporium has upgraded service in Rosman, then east to Brevard and continuing to the Henderson County line on both sides of Highway 280, Highway 64 and Crab Creek.  All of Cedar Mountain and Connestee Falls currently served by Comporium’s TV system have been upgraded.

Upgrades in areas covered by Comporium’s TV system west of Rosman are scheduled to start in 2018. The upgrades include replacement of older distribution lines, replacement of coax drops to the home if needed, upgraded electronics, upgraded fiber transport, and new distribution centers.  The Toxaway-Burlingame corridor upgrade should take 12 to 18 months after the project gets underway.  There are over 2,500 service addresses in this service area with over 100 miles of cable to upgrade.

Comporium employs more than seventy full-time people in Transylvania County and has been utilizing an additional 15-20 contractors to assist in the upgrades. These employees and contractors all are fully dedicated to the project, as it impacts not just Comporium, but the community as whole.

The best way to know if you are eligible for an upgrade is to call Comporium’s business office at 828-884-9011. If you are eligible, you can make an appointment to upgrade your existing DSL service or to add the new Cable Modem service.  The current DSL service will be phased out in all upgraded cable modem areas.

About Comporium
Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified, privately-held communications company that employs nearly 1,200 people and provides broadband, TV, voice, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services throughout the Carolinas. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing fiber transport and business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home/car services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.

New Campaign Wraps its World-Class Service in a Hometown Feel

Comporium proves out the benefits of putting the “local” in local provider.

ROCK HILL, S.C. – (March 30, 2017) Comporium announced that it is rolling out a new marketing campaign to emphasize its unique combination of market leading services and local focus. The personalization that only a hometown provider can bring versus the cutting edge technological advances of an industry-leading broadband provider. These two things almost never overlap. But Comporium’s new work is showing otherwise by highlighting their unique David meets Goliath skillset. So now you can call them “your friendly, neighborhood tech giant.”

Comporium shared that the 9-month long campaign will feature video, digital, and print ads that emphasize the company’s ability to balance delivering world-class technology and products with providing hometown, customized customer service.  Comporium will complement the marketing campaign with a series of surprise events where company employees will appear spontaneously at public events and handout gifts and promotional items.

Comporium offers comparable products and services to those that much larger, national providers do. Unlike other providers in the area, though, Comporium is local. According to the company, its leadership and employees, even its call center, are based locally. Instead of being located hundreds of miles away from its customers, Comporium is based within the communities that it serves. This means that the company’s customers are served by neighbors that treat them as individuals ensuring higher quality, quicker and more reliable customer service.

“In contrast to our competition, at Comporium we’re serving our home community,” stated Matthew Dosch, executive vice president and chief operations officer.  “We want to make sure that our neighbors are well cared for, not just in terms of technology and customer service, but also when it comes to Comporium being good corporate stewards.  We believe that it’s our responsibility to give back. We are always exploring ways we can contribute to the community to help with both the economy and the wellbeing of the people.”

Comporium is committed to local community engagement and giving back is a part of its fabric.  Each year the company supports hundreds of local organizations which help to improve the quality of life for area residents.  Comporium also uses tax credits and direct contributions to invest in the local economy and economic development.  Because the company and its leadership believe that all businesses should invest in the future of the community and its workforce, they also support local school districts and colleges. Over just the past three years the company has made sizable grants to Clemson, the University of South Carolina and York Technical College. Last month Comporium and the Fort Mill School District jointly announced that Comporium was supporting the District’s new athletic facility, Comporium Athletic Park.

About Comporium

Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified privately held communications company providing voice, video, data, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing fiber transport and business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home/car services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.