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SRT Reaches 25,000 Internet Customers

SRT Reaches 25,000 Internet Customers

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Minot, N.D. – SRT Communications reached a milestone this week, when the telecommunications cooperative welcomed its 25,000th Internet customer on February 12.

SRT was formed in 1951 to bring telephone service to the rural communities of north-central North Dakota. Forty-five years later, local dial-up internet became available from every SRT phone exchange. In another two years Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) internet was added to SRT’s services. Today the cooperative maintains a 100% fiber network connecting its entire rural service area, as well as the city of Minot and Minot Air Force Base.

“From day one, our mission has been to connect people and bring opportunity to our communities. SRT started with telephone service, one home at a time, and has since evolved to the most advanced technology for high-speed Internet,” said Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO and General Manager. “We are humbled that 25,000 North Dakotan homes and businesses turn to us for their Internet and are committed to serving their evolving future needs.”

Because SRT is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative, each SRT Internet customer receives the benefits of membership. These include voting in SRT annual elections for the Board of Directors and capital credits paid back to members.

SRT Communications, headquartered in Minot, North Dakota, is the state’s largest telecommunications cooperative. Established in 1951, SRT employs roughly 180 people and serves more than 26,000 customers across north central North Dakota. SRT earned the distinction as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider in 2017. Services include high-speed fiber internet, phone, and security/surveillance systems for home and business. Learn more at www.srt.com.

Technology: A Helpful Hand on Farm or Ranch

Technology: A Helpful Hand on Farm or Ranch

Farmers and ranchers not only run their own businesses; they oversee the food supply. That’s a big responsibility. And considering that a North Dakota farm or ranch averages more than 1500 acres, that’s a big area to manage.

How do you make sure livestock and crops are safe? Buildings are secure? Heating and water systems are working as they should? Fortunately, high-tech security and surveillance options are available to keep a close eye on farm/ranch operations from anywhere, at any time.

Security systems equipped with video cameras can help deter theft and protect agricultural assets such as fuel tanks, machinery, outbuildings, holding pens, grain bins, water supplies – anything that needs oversight to ensure safety and profitability. They can also monitor driveways and structures to detect people entering the property. These systems offer remotely accessible tools such as door and window sensors, glass break detectors, smart light controls, and door auto-locks. With 24/7 support, any disturbance triggers a live security response.

Families own or operate more than 85 percent of North Dakota’s farms. In many cases, these owners head to warmer states during the winter and ask a friend or relative to check on the farm. But often that friend or relative is not onsite 24/7. A security system can help fill the need to check in and make sure all is well. Temperature and water sensors let farmers monitor things remotely and detect a problem early, so they can fix issues they otherwise may not have known about until it was too late. For example, a temperature sensor sends the farmer an alert via phone or other smart device if the furnace quits working. This mobile access allows them to arrange for repairs quickly, even when they are miles away. Additional security features such as door sensors and motion detectors provide many family farmers the peace of mind and confidence that their home and business will be waiting safely for them when they return.

Security and surveillance specialists can design the right system for a farm’s or ranch’s unique needs. Whether the goal is safeguarding crops, animals, and property, or ensuring all systems are go, these high-tech options take on the job of protecting what matters.

SRT Voted Best Internet Provider 20th Straight Year in Minot Daily News Readers’ Choice Awards

SRT Voted Best Internet Provider 20th Straight Year in Minot Daily News Readers’ Choice Awards

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Two decades ago, Apple launched the iPod mini, Nintendo released the latest in portable gaming systems, and Broadband Internet connections surpassed dial-up for the first time in the United States.

We’ve come a long way since even those notable tech milestones, but one constant for 20 years running has been SRT voted Best Internet Provider from our valued customers and Minot Daily News readers.

And we have 20 times the gratitude.

While SRT is beyond proud to earn this honor 20 years in a row, what really makes us happy is knowing you enjoy a positive experience with our Internet service. Your confidence and trust inspires us every day to find new and better ways to serve you.

A little background on the “Best of the Best” contest: Readers are given the opportunity to nominate various types of businesses within the region. After the nomination period, there is a voting round. Readers may vote online once per day for their favorite business within the specific categories. Once voting has closed and votes have been counted, one winner and two finalists are announced for each category.

Thank you to Minot Daily News and your readers! We can’t wait to reach the next big next tech milestone together.

TUTORIAL/FAQ

TUTORIAL/FAQ

Short Tutorial/FAQ – How Will the Internet of Senses Work?

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Question: I’m fascinated by the prospect of the Internet of Senses. What will this technology do?

Answer: Today’s digital technology mainly uses the two senses of sight and sound. But with the technological advances in extended reality (XR) applications and 5G/6G, it’s plausible that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to feel, taste, and smell digital objects in a way that’s nearly identical to physical experiences.

The Swedish telecom giant Ericsson championed the term of the Internet of Senses (IoS). With the expanding ability of digital technologies to mimic the five human senses, the IoS envisions a world where the digital and physical merge into one another. Enthusiasts predict this technology will become available in the next couple of decades.

IoS will augment our senses beyond the boundaries of our bodies, enabling us to blend multisensory digital experiences with our local surroundings and interact with remote people, devices, and robots as if they were right beside us. Lightweight and advanced AR glasses and contact lenses will allow users to project digital objects into physical spaces with incredible realism. Touch will also become more amplified with advanced forms of wearables that replicate the sense of weight and motion in digital objects. Similarly, early-stage prototypes exist that replicate the senses of taste and smell. For example, the Norimaki Synthesizer, designed by researchers from Meiji University in Japan, artificially recreates any flavor on a user’s tongue.

CUSTOMER ALERT

CUSTOMER ALERT

Stay Alert – Tech Support Scams Remain Rampant

Watch Out For Tech Support Scams Scams Tech support scams use scare tactics to trick you into technical support services to supposedly fix device or software problems. At best, the scammers are trying to get you to pay them to fix a nonexistent problem. At worst, they’re attempting to gain remote access to your computer under the guise of fixing the problem, so they can instead install malware, ransomware, or other unwanted programs to steal your personal information.

Here’s what to look for and how to respond:
  • Phone calls – They may call and pretend to be a computer technician from a well-known company such as Microsoft, saying they’ve found a problem with your computer. They typically ask you to give them remote access to your computer and then pretend to run a diagnostic test. The next step is for them to say you need to pay them to fix the issue. If you get a phone call you didn’t expect from someone who says there’s a problem with your computer, hang up.

  • Pop-up warnings – A pop-up window may appear on your computer screen that looks like an error message from your operating system or antivirus software. It warns you about a security issue on your computer and tells you to call a phone number to get help. If you see this kind of pop-up window, don’t call the number. Real security warnings and messages will never ask you to call.

  • Online ads and listings in search results pages – Tech support scammers try to get their websites to show up in online search results for tech support. Or they might run their own ads online. The scammers are hoping you’ll call the phone number to get help. Don’t do it!
If your computer has been invaded by scammers, you may want to hire a professional to find and remove any malicious programs they’ve installed. Take your computer to a local brick-and-mortar repair shop run by someone you trust.