The Kalona Cooperative Technology Company announced this week that it has reached an agreement to acquire the broadband and telephone service provider, Farmtel Communications, headquartered in Wayland. 

Initial stages of this merger began in October of last year when the KCTC Board of Directors signed the first letter of intent to acquire Farmtel. This year, final approval was given by the KCTC board in April and Farmtel’s board in May. 

The goal of this acquisition is for KCTC to continue offering broadband services to rural communities with faster speeds and greater reliability to its current customers, as well as Farmtel’s existing customer base. Existing plans and pricing will not change without customer contact. All Farmtel staff are expected to remain employed by KCTC, while the Farmtel office will remain in Wayland to continue providing local support to customers. 

The acquisition is expected to be finalized in early 2024.