(SCHOOLCRAFT) – St. Joseph County residents will soon have a new option for internet services.

Mercury Broadband, a Kansas City based internet and phone provider, held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their brand new 16,000 square foot service center, located at 610 East Eliza Street in Schoolcraft on May 2.

According to Mercury Broadband Co-Founder and CEO Garrett Wiseman, Mercury's first steps around Southwest Michigan will be providing broadband internet service to the majority of St. Joseph County by the end of June.

Mercury mainly focuses on rural communities that are underserved or unserved. Since 2013, Mercury has had a presence in Northern Indiana, but this is their first venture into Michigan.

This move into Michigan includes a $280 million investment to bring services into the State of Michigan as a whole. That amount is made up of approximately $250 million in private investment and another $30 million in Federal funds.

Mercury's Southwest Michigan General Manager Robert Dow says they are building close to 100 tower sites for the region. He says the towers will start going up over the next couple of months.

Mercury is currently taking pre-subscriptions for service. If anyone wants information, they can go to mercury broadband dot com.