SRT Communications

SRT Communications

Type	Cooperative
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	1951
Headquarters	Minot, North Dakota
Products	Telephone; wireless; cable TV; personal, home, & business security; internet
Total assets	$107M USD (2008)
Number of employees	220+ (2010)
Website	srt.com

SRT Communications (formerly Souris River Telecommunications) is the largest telecommunications cooperative in North Dakota, serving over 50,000 people with telephone, wireless phone, Internet, security systems, and TV services through both cable TV and IPTV.

The company is governed by a twelve-member Board of Directors covering four districts. As a cooperative, patronage capital credits are awarded to member customers. In June 2009 SRT Communications distributed over $1.2 million in capital credit checks to members with local telephone service.

In 1951, the Verendrye Electric Cooperative board of directors established the Souris River Telephone Mutal Aid Corporation to bring telephone service to those living in the rural areas of McHenry and Ward Counties. The first telephone exchange, the town of Martin, was purchased for $500 and had 82 telephone customers. In 1960, Minot Air Force Base became SRT's largest phone exchange, and by 1970 rotary dial telephones were replaced with touch pad style phones. In 1980, SRT began to sell cable television service, first available in the town of Westhope.

Although telephone cooperatives usually operate within set boundaries, in 1990 SRT reached outside their traditional territory to install telephone wire throughout the 17 floors of the North Dakota State Capitol building. Again expanding their offerings, in 1990 SRT became an agent to CommNet 2000, handling a new cellular phone system in Minot, and in 1992 opened their own long distance company. In 1994 SRT acquired Minot Telephone Company (formerly Northern States Power Telephone), the states largest independent phone company serving approximately 25,000 lines in Minot, Burlington and Surrey.