SANDPOINT, Idaho, March 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Further demonstrating its commitment to small but forward-thinking towns, Ting today announced plans to bring crazy fast fiber Internet to the Greater Sandpoint, ID area. The towns of Sandpoint, Dover, Ponderay and Kootenai can pre-order Ting Internet starting today at ting.com/sandpoint.

Pre-orders will impact not just when Ting comes to town but where the network build begins as well. This is the initial “demand assessment” phase and it commences just as soon as Ting finishes writing this press release.

Assuming sufficient demand for crazy fast fiber Internet exists, network construction would begin later in 2016.

“Internet speed and infrastructure is an issue that is on the national agenda,” said Elliot Noss, CEO of Ting and its parent company Tucows (NASDAQ:TCX) (TSX:TC). “While it’s obviously very important to get major metros connected with fast fiber Internet, Ting Internet is proving that the fastest Internet access available isn’t just for city centers. Smaller cities and towns need faster, more reliable Internet too. Maybe even more so.”

While the issue of outmoded, overburdened and unreliable Internet infrastructure is national, Ting is demonstrating that the solution can be local.

“Crazy fast fiber Internet” refers to “symmetrical gigabit” service. That translates to upload and download speeds of up to a gigabit (or 1,000 megabits) per second. To put that in context, everyone in a household that has “the gig” can be streaming video, gaming, video conferencing and browsing the Internet at the same time without getting in each other’s way. Gigabit fiber Internet access also facilitates healthcare, fosters education and stimulates economic development.

“We’re always happy to team up with towns and cities that get it,” said Adam Eisner, Director of Networks for Ting. “Gigabit fiber is the next generation of Internet access and it will power the next generation of ideas.”

Ting disrupted the mobile industry with its launch in 2012 offering shockingly fair pricing, usable interfaces and no-hold, no-transfer, live customer support. Ting Internet started in Charlottesville, VA in early 2015 before expanding to Westminster, MD later that year. In early 2016, Ting Internet began demand generation and assessment in Holly Springs, NC.

“If there’s one industry that needs Ting perhaps even more than mobile, it’s cable and Internet access,” said Noss. “For too long, people and businesses have had no choice, or at best the illusion of choice, as to who provides them with access. They have been held hostage by contracts and forced under bandwidth caps. We’re changing that.”

Ting Internet installation costs vary by location but are not more than $200 for a home or $400 for an individual business. The Ting Internet Box, which doubles as a high speed wireless router, costs $199 up front or $9/mo. Ting symmetrical gigabit Internet costs $89/mo. for a home or $139/mo. for a business. There is also a low cost, non-core offering for $19/mo. for 5/5 Mbps service.

Ting executives are available for interviews.

Media Contact
Jesse Simms
1-844-275-1773
press@ting.com

Investor Contact
Lawrence Chamberlain
416-848-1457
lchamberlain@national.ca

About Tucows

Tucows is a provider of network access, domain names and other Internet services. Ting delivers mobile phone service and fixed Internet access with outstanding customer support. OpenSRS manages over fourteen million domain names and millions of value-added services through a global reseller network of over 13,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover makes it easy for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. More information can be found on Tucows’ corporate website (http://tucows.com).