TDS trades markets to gain Duluth presence

TDS Metrocom, a telecom serving five states with headquarters in Madison, said it has agreed to trade five markets to a Portland firm for Duluth, Minnesota.

In exchange for acquiring most of the customers Integra Telecom Inc. has in the Duluth area, TDS will hand over Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota, and Little Falls, Nisswa and Fergus Falls in Minnesota. Though needing federal and state approval, the deal is expected to close within 90 days.

The number of customers the companies have in the affected cities was not disclosed. The three Minnesota markets TDS is giving up are small ones, with populations of 2,000 to 15,000. Duluth and Fargo have comparable populations around 90,000, and Grand Forks about 50,000.