Tech Support

Whether clocking into work, paying bills, shopping or browsing the web for leisure, internet use has become more of a necessity than an extra amenity. About 92 percent of people in the United States accessed the internet in 2023, according to statista.com, and that’s up from almost 75 percent in 2012. The U.S. has one of the world’s largest online markets worldwide, and about 299 million internet users in this country went online in 2022.

When internet users face technical issues with our internet connection, it can be frustrating and time-consuming.

From the start, United’s high-speed internet project has focused on providing reliable internet service that members could depend upon to meet their daily needs, said United CEO Cameron Smallwood.

“Even on the drafting board, we wanted our members to have an internet experience that they could rely upon day in, day out,” Smallwood said. “After looking at how other providers’ services were often lacking – especially wireless connections – we knew that was not the kind of internet system we wanted to build. We made sure that our system had multiple built-in network redundancies to keep our members online as much as possible.”

Network redundancy means if one internet supplier goes down, United can seamlessly switch to another so members don’t experience a system interruption. Redundant fiber could be thought of as a backup generator for telecommunications. When the power goes out, network redundancy keeps the lights on.

Smallwood said United’s world-class network boasts several redundancy measures. For one, the system is connected to the top 4 internet service providers in the world. These four providers have to have extremely high reliability standards because they host so much of the world’s traffic. While their reliability standards are high, something can and has happened to these providers. To avoid problems, having four large providers supplying internet service to United ensures that if something were to happen to one provider, United is still connected three different ways.

United also has five points of presence (PoP), which is a physical location where two or more networks or communication devices build a connection from one place to the rest of the internet. United’s PoP’s are located at each major office location. So, if one PoP were to go down, United has several others in which United can shift the traffic in a blink of an eye to another PoP. United internet subscribers would never experience a drop in service.

Lack of redundancies can spell major trouble for any system. In 2018, millions of residents of Seoul, South Korea, found out the hard way how important redundancies in internet service can be. A fire disrupted service for KT, the nation’s second-largest telecommunications firm, and the fallout was swift and devastating. Customers lost the ability to watch television, make phone calls, access the internet, complete credit card transactions, and withdraw money from ATM’s. The fire took 10 hours to be put out, and even affected the phone systems for police stations and fire stations causing chaos for many in South Korea.

The KT outage made a few things very clear to officials and other providers. Disasters, such as the fire that caused the outage, are almost impossible to predict or prevent. Secondly, even in the event of such disasters, the outcomes don’t have to be catastrophic to providing the service to consumers.

“Telecommunication companies should always have several network redundancy measures in place in case of an emergency,” Smallwood said. “When widespread outages can hamstring millions of individuals and even critical infrastructure, there must be another way to keep the system afloat.”

United also has ten backbone rings. United’s backbone connects all the devices in the field. A ring creates a circle such that each node is connected to two other nodes. Because every node is connected to two others, there is no beginning and no end. So, if there was a fiber cut on one section of the ring, United technicians can backfeed from another direction and ensure the rest of the subscribers do not go down, rather than that same cut taking everyone in the affected area offline until the fiber is repaired.

Even with all the redundancy United has created for their network, things can still happen at your home and business that will require trouble shooting. But with United Cooperative Services’ 24/7 technical support, members can rest assured that their internet issues will be resolved in no time.

“Our technical support team is available around the clock to help you with any issues members may encounter,” Smallwood said. “Whether it’s a slow internet connection, frequent disconnections, or any other technical issues, our team is equipped with the necessary tools and expertise to provide you with effective solutions. Our technical support team comprises of local trained professionals who are skilled in resolving any issues you may face with your internet connection. “

United has several tiers of support and various modes of communication as well. United’s first tier of support is their 24/7 call center based in the United States. These technicians are trained to troubleshoot members issues and have access to United’s subscriber equipment to remotely resolve issues.

If for some reason, the issue cannot be resolved, the issue will be escalated to United’s second tier help desk who are locally based and have more advanced knowledge on subscriber issues. Should they not be able resolve an issue, our help desk will either dispatch a local technician, or the issue will be escalated to United’s Network Operation Center.

United’s Network Operations Center (NOC) comprises several Network Engineers and network analysts who constantly provide regular maintenance checks and updates to ensure the health of the network always remains at optimal levels. For advanced businesses who need immediate solutions, United has a direct path to the NOC.

United always looks at itself first as a service provider. United’s main objective is to provide exceptional service in everything it does. That means providing the resources necessary to support its internet service and members to ensure the best possible service.

For more information on support, visit our website at https://ucs.net/troubleshooting-and-support.