VoIP Providers & Business Phone Companies in Thayne, WY

Overview

Silver Star Communications is a family-owned telecommunications provider rooted in the Star Valley area of western Wyoming, with a customer lobby in Thayne and its corporate base in Freedom.

It delivers fiber internet, voice and business technology services to households and organizations across western Wyoming and Idaho, including Jackson, Afton, Alpine, Teton Village, Wilson and Star Valley Ranch, plus Idaho markets such as Driggs, Rexburg and Boise.

For business buyers, the company presents itself as a local alternative to national carriers, pairing its own fiber network with hosted voice and collaboration tools.

Business voice and unified communications

The business voice line centers on a cloud-hosted VoIP phone system and a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform. Rather than relying on costly on-site equipment, clients run their calling through Silver Star's cloud platform, which combines voice calls, video meetings, chat, conferencing and team collaboration in one environment.

Staff can place and take calls from traditional desk phones, smartphone apps or softphone software on a computer, suiting teams split across offices, homes and branches. Users, features and sites can be added quickly without new hardware, and the platform includes call routing tools intended to get callers to the correct person, with redundancy and secure links.

Silver Star markets this voice offering to three main groups:

• Smaller and midsize firms wanting a professional phone system on a tighter budget
• Larger enterprises that need one platform spanning several locations
• Government agencies and schools that prioritize secure, dependable communications

Broader business portfolio

Voice is sold alongside other business services, letting buyers source connectivity and phones from one provider. Offerings include business internet and private networks linking multiple sites; cybersecurity services such as staff security awareness training, compliance guidance, around-the-clock monitoring and incident response; and SmartBiz, a managed Wi-Fi product for small businesses like retailers, restaurants, salons and manufacturers.

SmartBiz provides distinct networks for owners, staff, guests and point-of-sale terminals, a branded guest portal, cellular backup and management through the CommandWorx app. The company also installs access control and video surveillance systems. Business clients work with account consultants assigned by region, including representatives covering Wyoming, plus an executive who handles wholesale, government and enterprise accounts.

Background and credentials

Silver Star traces its roots to 1912, when local ranchers and businessmen in lower Star Valley strung telephone lines on livestock fencing because the area was too small to attract Bell. The Hoopes family acquired the company in 1956 and still owns it, and it is now partially employee-owned through an ESOP.

It began deploying fiber in 1990 and now owns upward of 1,800 miles of fiber, with peering links to Chicago, Seattle, Denver and Salt Lake City. Roughly 143 employees work in Star Valley, Jackson and several Idaho communities.

In 2022, NTCA, the rural broadband trade association, awarded Silver Star its Smart Rural Community designation for Star Valley as well as Idaho's Swan and Teton valleys.

For buyers comparing business phone providers, Silver Star's distinguishing points are its locally owned fiber infrastructure, a cloud voice platform bundled with connectivity and security services, regional sales staff, and a long track record serving rural towns in Wyoming and Idaho. The company also emphasizes community involvement, with an annual donation program for local nonprofits and an expectation that every employee takes part in a minimum of one volunteer project annually.