Royal Telephone Company preps for ownership change

A local telecommunications company is about to change hands.

Royal Telephone Company (RTC) was sold to Premier Communications, of Sioux Center, in late October. According to RTC officials, the business will officially change hands in early January of 2024.

RTC General Manager John Noah said the company was approached by Premier with a purchase offer earlier this year.

"Premier is uniquely positioned to continue Royal's legacy of providing exceptional service to customers in and around Royal," he said in a news release. "We expect this transaction will have immediate and long-term benefits to Royal's customers, who can count on continued high levels of service and investment in the community from Premier."

RTC has four employees and serves more than 300 internet, telephone and cable customers throughout the area. Noah will retire at year's end, and remaining RTC employees will have the opportunity to stay on with Premier.

"Over the years, Premier and Royal have shared many strategic partnerships," said Ryan Boone, CEO of Premier Communications. "We believe the addition of Royal is a natural fit to our existing service area and we pledge to serve these new customers with the same cutting-edge technology and great customer service that Premier is known for."

RTC has provided exceptional services to the town and surrounding rural area of Royal for more than a century. Through major investments in fiber optics, the company was recently able to update its services to businesses and residents in its exchange.

Premier Communications is the leading provider of voice, video and data services in northwest Iowa. With headquarters in Sioux Center and offices in Rock Rapids, Hospers, and Le Mars, Premier provides 29 communities with local and long-distance voice services, high-speed Internet and cable television programming. As a certified Smart Rural Community and Gig Capable provider from the NTCA, The Rural Broadband Association, Premier Communications provides up to Gigabit and symmetrical Internet speeds. Included in Premier's focus is an emphasis on excellent customer service and "looking ahead" forward-thinking technology and development, according to a news release.