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People in the sticks don't have to rely on Internet service that stinks.

RuralNet Wireless LLC, a recent Tucson-based startup, is offering Internet access around Southern Arizona, where technology or infrastructure limitations prevent rural residents from getting other types of high-speed service.

RuralNet is among a growing number of companies that are itching to meet the demands of rural residents, particularly as the Sprint Broadband Direct service — a recently defunct Internet service — has left some local customers in the dark. SimplyBits LLC and WildBlue are among other companies that are offering rural Arizona customers wireless access.

"It's a big deal out in our neighborhood," said Robin Clark, who lives a couple of miles from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and doesn't have access to typical broadband technologies such as cable or a digital subscriber line, known as DSL.

And, she said, "It's always good to find a local business."

Clark was among those who used the Sprint service, although it discontinued selling the service in 2001 but kept existing customers online until now. Sprint said it had 12,500 customers nationwide at the time it sent out its service-termination notices in May.

Rural customers such as Clark must use alternative methods to connect to the Internet — for example, via satellite — because cable and DSL technology can reach only so far. Wireless providers, such as RuralNet, broadcast a signal from a mountaintop instead of using conventional wires or cables to connect someone's house.

Gregg Garcia, president and CEO of RuralNet, said business has grown since the demise of Sprint's service. But he got the idea before the discontinuation notices started flying out in the mail — back when when he was looking for Internet access to his ranch in Elgin.

After exploring wireless-transmission options, such as mountaintops in Southern Arizona, he officially formed the company last summer.

Garcia received help from Marcus Needham, a longtime friend and former vice president at The River, which had about 15,000 customers in Arizona and Washington state as of 2005. Needham provides technical and business consulting for Garcia's new business.

RuralNet is positioning itself to be competitive with other providers, such as Cox, Comcast and Qwest, although its set-up costs can be pricey in comparison to urban rates.

RuralNet's rates start at $29.95 for its "economy plan," with 512-kilobit download and 256-kilobit upload speeds. Both that and its next-highest plan, at $59.95, include a $159.95 activation fee.

RuralNet has only about 150 customers in Southern Arizona, but with two new transmitter sites in Avra Valley, Garcia said, the company "is growing as we speak."