MSTAR Rated Among the 'Best of Utah Valley'.

Utah Valley Magazine Readers Vote MSTAR as the Valley's Top Local Internet Service Provider 

MURRAY & OREM, Utah -- MSTAR, Utah's largest and fastest-growing fiber-optic service provider, was voted by readers of Utah Valley Magazine this month as one of the top three Internet service providers in the valley.

"We had an overwhelming number of readers who voted in this year's survey," said Ashley Dickson, associate editor of Utah Valley Magazine. "Seeing MSTAR chosen as a top local ISP says a lot about the company and the value it offers to citizens and businesses in the valley."

MSTAR ranked second, with more votes than Qwest and just behind Comcast, both national providers. This ranking is far more significant than it appears because MSTAR's fiber-optic services are currently only available to seven percent of the single-family households in the voting area - Qwest and Comcast can each service virtually all of that population.

When other providers resigned their efforts to provide triple play services over iProvo and UTOPIA's fiber-to-the-home projects, the networks were looking for someone to step up and become a triple play provider. Fortunately, MSTAR was willing to take that rather large step. Unlike the providers who made the original commitments, MSTAR did not have the luxury of 18 months to prepare for the job while the networks were being constructed.

To make the transition, MSTAR made drastic changes to its business model, including creating one of the top engineering staffs in the state, adding telephone and television services, and creating an entire infrastructure for support and billing. The company made these changes during the past 14 months while also having to provide services over the fiber networks.

"To us, this ranking is very significant," said Ben Gould, MSTAR's president and chief executive officer. "It is a signal that we are starting to meet our primary objective of delivering the very best possible services over iProvo and UTOPIA's cutting-edge, fiber-optic networks. When you take into account how far we've come as a company this is a very big deal."

Gould said MSTAR's customers have played a vital role in the company's development.

"We feel extremely fortunate to have such loyal customers," he said. "They have, in a very real way, been willing to work with us as we have had a steep learning curve while also making needed significant investments to add supporting infrastructure and staff."

Provo's Mayor Lewis Billings said he recognizes the vast improvements made by MSTAR in the last year - especially the last six months.

"We're excited to see that people are recognizing the value that iProvo brings to them," Billings said. "MSTAR is a great partner and continues to prove their value to the network."

Utah Valley Magazine is targeted at readers across Utah County in cities ranging from Nephi on the south to Alpine in the north. Fiber-to-the home and business has not yet been laid in all those cities. MSTAR's fiber services in Utah County are currently available in portions of Lindon, Payson and Orem over the UTOPIA network and in Provo on the iProvo network.

"In the areas where it is available, MSTAR has proven to be very popular and is the leading service provider on UTOPIA's network," said Roger Black, deputy director and chief operating officer of UTOPIA. "We're excited that MSTAR has received this recognition as it is a reflection of the improving quality of service and performance of the fiber projects in Utah."

For more information about MSTAR, please visit www.mstar.net or call [phone].

About MSTAR

MSTAR is Utah's premier provider of ultra high-speed Internet, cutting-edge IPTV and low-priced phone service over a world-class fiber-optic network. MSTAR began as Deseret Online, a dial-up and DSL provider, and is now the state's biggest and fastest-growing fiber-optic service provider.