ISPs Make Open Access Magical
This season, we’re shining the spotlight on the amazing providers selling their services across our customers’ open access networks — bringing choice, speed, and stellar support to communities far and wide (from KPUD, LCPUD, City of Superior, and more).
A quick Q&A with Aaron Hildreth, Intellipop, Founding Member
Tell us about Intellipop
“Intellipop was founded in 2014 as a wireless internet provider in rural Utah to offer affordable, reliable, and customer-focused internet. After establishing a strong foothold in our wireless markets, we looked into open access as a quick way to expand—and we’ve been growing rapidly ever since.”
Why Open Access — what problem did it solve?
“We hit saturation in our wireless market and faced increasing fiber competition. Joining nearby open access networks gave us quick expansion opportunities and a steady base to grow customer counts.”
How do the economics pencil out?
“We came at it a bit differently: a successful WISP engine helped fund entry into open access. Margins on our first networks were tight, so wireless provided the cash to launch competitive plans into new markets.”
Running lean: how much can you do from one head office?
“The vision comes from HQ; execution launches on the ground. We centralize plans for sales, marketing, and support, then adapt in-market. Support stays in one location to keep information flowing, and we keep offerings as similar as possible across markets.”
What convinced you it’s scalable?
“Solid software partners that automate activation and billing—and market sizes big enough to make networks profitable for most ISPs.”
Looking ahead + advice for single-provider ISPs
“Open access is our largest customer segment and our primary engine of growth going forward. We use a blended model—owning infrastructure in some markets, exclusive ISP in others—but open access drives expansion.”
Here are some of the ISPs on our customers' networks:
Why Open Access made business sense
“It was a natural extension of what we already did. We first joined to get redundant fiber to tower sites, then invested in marketing and found early success by staying true to our core: great customer experience.”
How revenue/operations work on neutral-host networks
“Every network is different, but most revenue flows back to the operator to pay for the build. You don’t own the fiber—that’s the tradeoff—but you gain access to markets you might never reach with far lower upfront investment.”
What you’ve learned (good and bad)
Good: “Scaling and automation matter—good software partners like COS help make that happen. When you move from owning infrastructure to selling on someone else’s, more spend shifts to winning and keeping customers.”
Bad: “Know your partners. Not all operators share the same open access philosophy. Talk to other ISPs on the network and understand the market before you jump in.”
Best advice for first-timers
“Focus on what you do best and don’t stretch too thin. There’s plenty of competition—but plenty of opportunity.”
Why ISPs Love Open Access (the quick hits)
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Sell service, not fiber: Plug into existing networks and start winning customers this quarter.
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One HQ, many cities: Provision, bill, and support at multi-market scale with a single ops stack.
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Zero truck rolls: Remote activation and marketplace workflows turn weeks into minutes.
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Weeks, not years to revenue: Move from contract to cash fast—and keep pipeline velocity high.
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Grow subscribers, not debt: Healthier unit economics on shared infrastructure.
Join the Celebration
Ready for open access—or to take your services to a broader subscriber base?
Reach out to our Partner Manager, Björn and join our ISP Partner Program so we can help you get in touch with Operators looking for ISPs and launch across multiple networks with a playbook that works🎁
