ImOn expands its network, work force

ImOn Communications has begun offering higher speed Internet service to residential customers as it continues to expand its customer territory.

The Cedar Rapids-based telecommunications firm's Freedom Internet line is highlighted by Freedom 65, which offers download speeds of up to 65 megabits per second.

“I don't know of any other residential Internet service provider in Iowa that's offering speeds of 65 megabits per second,” said ImOn Chairman Steve Gray. “We're able to offer Internet download speeds of 65, 25 and 15 megabits per second because of more efficient use of our network. We also are able to offer it consistently and with the quality that our customers have come to expect.”

Gray said ImOn has made significant capital investments in its network technology as it has expanded its service territory in Cedar Rapids and Marion.

“When we bought this business in March 2007, we passed about 45 percent of the homes in Cedar Rapids and Marion,” he said. “We are closing in on 60 percent of those homes, and with our plans for 2011 and beyond, we should be about two-thirds or 70 percent built out in Cedar Rapids and Marion in the next several years.”

Gray said the June 2008 flood set ImOn back between six months and a year.

“We lost several hundred customers and a lot of equipment,” he said. “While it was bad for us, it was certainly a lot worse for the people who lived in the homes that were destroyed by the flood.

“We had to go back to the drawing board and determine just how aggressively we were going to build out and where. We're a little hesitant to start removing lines and equipment from poles until the city determines what's going to happen in those areas.”

Gray said ImOn has migrated all of its billing, customer service and dispatch operations  from facilities owned by Paetec (formerly McLeodUSA) to it own employees and facilities.

“Since we bought the business, we've grown our customer base by a little over 26 percent,” he said. “We've increased our revenue generating units (cable TV, phone and Internet) by over 40 percent.

“Our revenues have increased by about 70 percent and our earnings by 200 percent. By the end of this year, we will have doubled our employment.”

Gray said ImOn is adding 10 new high-definition channels to its cable TV offering, bringing its total HD channel count to 37. He said ImOn plans to add another eight HD channels by the end of this year and more in 2011.

“With the proliferation of flat screen plasma, LCD, LED and 3-D televisions, our customers are asking for more high-definition channels,” Gray said. “I think we're moving to an all digital network that will still offer analog channels, but will primarily supply HD programming.

“We have surveyed our customers about what they want and built our core lineup around those results.”

Gray said ImOn will continue to invest in network enhancements and facilities to position itself to better serve customers' future needs.