HILLIARY COMMUNICATIONS TO ACQUIRE TDS TELECOM’S OKLAHOMA OPERATIONS, EXPANSION BRINGS FUTURE-READY BROADBAND TO RURAL COMMUNITIES

MEDICINE PARK, OKLA. (July 15, 2025) – Hilliary Communications, a family-owned telecommunications company serving customers across rural Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa, has announced the acquisition of TDS Telecom’s Oklahoma network operations.

“Hilliary Communications is dedicated to building a stronger, more connected future for rural communities across Oklahoma,” said Dustin Hilliary, co-CEO of Hilliary Communications. “This acquisition positions us to bring fiber internet and modern communications services to more areas of Oklahoma.”

The acquisition adds nearly 35,000 new locations to Hilliary Communications’ service footprint, including communities across Oklahoma—many in growing rural regions from Elgin and Jones to Adair—marking a major step in the company’s mission to connect every Oklahoman to reliable, high-speed internet.

TDS Telecom, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company, has been doing business in Oklahoma since 1978. The local TDS Field Service associates will also transfer to the company as part of the agreement. The agreement is expected to close in the second half of 2025 upon completion of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

“This divestiture will allow us to focus more heavily on our core fiber operations,” said TDS Telecom President and CEO Ken Dixon. “We are confident our customers and associates will continue to have a positive experience with their new company.”

Hilliary Communications will begin immediate planning to upgrade the acquired areas, including deploying fiber-to-the-home networks, modernizing infrastructure, and delivering future-ready broadband and communications services.

"Expanding rural broadband is essential infrastructure for ensuring educational and professional opportunities reach every corner of the state. This announcement represents a meaningful step towards statewide connectivity,” said John Budd, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. “This is how we continue Oklahoma's incredible economic growth, and that growth is strongest when companies are invested in the communities they are serving.”

This agreement marks the latest milestone in Hilliary’s effort to bring scale, technology, and long-term investment to rural networks, while preserving the local, community-focused service. It is the company’s eighth acquisition of independent or regional telecom assets since 2016.

“At Hilliary Communications, we believe every community matters and that dependable, high-speed internet is the modern economic driver to unlock each community’s full potential,” said Edward E. Hilliary, Jr., co-CEO of Hilliary Communications. “We are excited to bring our team, our mission, and our infrastructure to the communities formerly served by TDS Telecom and to help future-proof them for generations to come.”

Hilliary Communications is actively investing in funding and resources to support the expansion and is currently deploying more than $250 million in new broadband infrastructure across Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa.

The service areas being acquired, shown in light green on the attached map, include dozens of towns across the state, from central Oklahoma communities like Choctaw and Jones, to areas near Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Lawton.

Stifel served as the exclusive financial advisor to TDS in this transaction; Mazer Telecom Advisors acted as a financial advisor to Hilliary Communications.

About Hilliary Communications

Hilliary Communications is a third-generation, family-owned company that has served rural communities for more than 60 years. Hilliary Communications delivers cutting-edge internet, voice, and television services to tens of thousands of customers across 22 counties in Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa. Headquartered in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, the company is committed to innovation, excellence, and bridging the digital divide for rural communities. http://hilliary.com 

About TDS Telecom

TDS Telecommunications LLC (TDS Telecom/TDS®) delivers high-speed internet, TV entertainment, and phone services to a mix of small to mid-sized urban, suburban and rural communities throughout the U.S. With 1.1 million connections, TDS Telecom’s mission is to create a better world through its communications services. Powered by fiber-optics and new industry-leading technologies, TDS Telecom delivers up to 8 Gigabit internet speeds and offers internet-protocol based TV entertainment solutions along with traditional phone services. TDS Telecom also offers businesses VoIP advanced communications solutions, dedicated internet service, and data networking services. Visit  tdstelecom.com.  

TDS Telecom, headquartered in Madison, Wis., employs 3,300 people and is a s

ubsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Founded in 1969, Telephone and Data Systems provides wireless, broadband, video and voice services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses: UScellular and TDS Telecom. Visit tdsinc.com.