Glen Pearson of Viking Broadband Inc. adjusts a satellite dish at the company’s Huntley facility on Florian Avenue on Tuesday. Viking is phasing in broad improvements to its cable and television services. (Jonathan McNiven photo)
Originally published in the Yellowstone County News – by Judy Killen
HUNTLEY — Customers who receive Internet and television service from Viking Broadband Inc. are enjoying better, faster service without increased rates or fees.
The company based in Story, Wyoming, has completed one phase of a “sweeping upgrade plan” that improved Internet service and is poised to begin improving TV reception.
Company president Dan Vaala called the work “by far the most sweeping upgrade that we’ve done.”
“This part of this, the big part,” said Dan Vaala, is that “we built a whole new network as far as the Internet part of our system goes. We are expecting that will take us far into the future.”
The company built a “direct connection to the fiber backbone of the Internet in Billings,”
Vaala said. “We got a much faster connection” from this improvement, he said, with lower latency and much higher speeds.
All this comes with no increase in rates paid by consumers, he said.
Wireless customers receive service in Shepherd and east Billings from Viking towers.
“Those towers will be re-outfitted with a couple new towers,” Vaala said.
And television customers will also received new equipment, “top of the line stuff that will improve their service,” Vaala said. The new equipment includes updated DOCSIS 3 cable modems.
“We’ll have DOCSIS 3 up and running shortly here, too,” he said.
The improvements are good for everyone, he said.
“Gamers will appreciate it,” he said.
Vaala acknowledged that customers on an 8 mg plan “maybe at times don’t get it.” But now, “no problem with traffic anymore… no contention” as 8 mg plans become 12 mg plans at no increased cost.
Viking’s developing a new plan that will be “20-something, don’t know yet,” he said. “A couple customers are running on test plans now, (and we’ll) make it official pretty soon.”
Viking purchased a cable system in Hysham in March 2015, added TV channels and brought Internet to more customers with the “same type of system, straight to the fiber backbone.”
Vaala said the company is hiring.
“We’re actively looking for people,” he said, some permanent and some for the busy summer construction season. Anyone interested can call Viking Broadband Inc. at (307) 655-5787. HUNTLEY — Customers who receive Internet and television service from Viking Broadband Inc. are enjoying better, faster service without increased rates or fees.
The company based in Story, Wyoming, has completed one phase of a “sweeping upgrade plan” that improved Internet service and is poised to begin improving TV reception.
Company president Dan Vaala called the work “by far the most sweeping upgrade that we’ve done.”
“This part of this, the big part,” said Dan Vaala, is that “we built a whole new network as far as the Internet part of our system goes. We are expecting that will take us far into the future.”
The company built a “direct connection to the fiber backbone of the Internet in Billings,”
Vaala said. “We got a much faster connection” from this improvement, he said, with lower latency and much higher speeds.
All this comes with no increase in rates paid by consumers, he said.
Wireless customers receive service in Shepherd and east Billings from Viking towers.
“Those towers will be re-outfitted with a couple new towers,” Vaala said.
And television customers will also received new equipment, “top of the line stuff that will improve their service,” Vaala said. The new equipment includes updated DOCSIS 3 cable modems.
“We’ll have DOCSIS 3 up and running shortly here, too,” he said.
The improvements are good for everyone, he said.
“Gamers will appreciate it,” he said.
Vaala acknowledged that customers on an 8 mg plan “maybe at times don’t get it.” But now, “no problem with traffic anymore… no contention” as 8 mg plans become 12 mg plans at no increased cost.
Viking’s developing a new plan that will be “20-something, don’t know yet,” he said. “A couple customers are running on test plans now, (and we’ll) make it official pretty soon.”
Viking purchased a cable system in Hysham in March 2015, added TV channels and brought Internet to more customers with the “same type of system, straight to the fiber backbone.”
Vaala said the company is hiring.
“We’re actively looking for people,” he said, some permanent and some for the busy summer construction season. Anyone interested can call Viking Broadband Inc. at (307) 655-5787.
