CentraCom buys century-old Gunnison Telephone to widen rural Utah fibre
What's the deal? CentraComDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired Gunnison Telephone CompanyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, adding the century-old rural provider to its Utah fibre network. The transaction closed on 1 July 2026, following customary regulatory approvals, and was announced on 30 July.
Who's involved? Gunnison TelephoneDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → serves roughly 6,700 residents across 1,576 households in Gunnison, Centerfield, Mayfield, Fayette and surrounding areas of Sanpete County, offering telephone, broadband and fixed wireless services. It had been a subsidiary of LICT CorporationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a US telecommunications holding company.
The buyer: CentraCom, operating as Central Utah Telephone Inc.Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, was founded in 1903 as Utah's first independent rural telephone company. It runs a statewide fibre network serving both rural and metropolitan customers.
What it means: CentraCom plans to combine its fibre network with Gunnison's local infrastructure — including fibre-to-the-premises, copper and fixed wireless — to expand broadband across southern Sanpete County.
The rationale: "By combining our statewide fiber network with Gunnison's local expertise, we can expand advanced broadband services and help these communities thrive in an increasingly connected world," said CentraCom president and chief executive officer Brad Welch.
Gunnison general manager Jim Sanders said the deal lets the company keep its local focus while adding scale. "Partnering with CentraCom allows us to bring even greater innovation and reliability to our customers, while preserving the commitment to community that has defined Gunnison Telephone since the very beginning," he said.
The signal: The deal reflects continued consolidation among small rural telecoms, where independent operators fold into larger fibre networks to fund upgrades. For Sanpete County, it points towards faster connectivity tied to economic development, healthcare and education — priorities that increasingly hinge on rural broadband.
Read more: Herald Extra
Image credit: USDAgov
