Hitron & Airties target SMB broadband gap for ISPs

Hitron and Airties have formed a strategic partnership to offer internet service providers a connectivity platform for small and medium-sized businesses. They are already working with several service providers on deployments for business customers.

The offer combines Hitron's broadband gateways with Airties Pro software to target a segment between consumer broadband and larger enterprise networking systems. It is aimed at internet service providers looking to sell more tailored services to smaller businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses make up a large share of the broadband market, but providers have often sold them either residential services with limited controls or more expensive corporate systems with features beyond their needs. That has left a gap for operators trying to raise revenue per user while keeping support and installation costs under control.

Research cited by the companies points to rising technology spending and a heavy reliance on internet access. According to data from the Global Technology Industry Association, 96% of SMBs believe technology is key to meeting business objectives, 46% are increasing technology spending year on year, and all respondents said an internet outage would halt operations or cause significant revenue loss.

Hitron's SMB research suggests buyers are also willing to spend time comparing providers and products before committing. It found that 43% of SMBs make significant efforts to research multiple offers, while network separation, broad coverage and visibility into staff internet use rank among the main features they want.

Market gap

The platform is aimed at internet service providers rather than being sold directly to end customers. Under the model outlined by the companies, operators would package the system as a business broadband offer with features beyond a standard home connection.

These include separate networks for employees and guests, remote monitoring, troubleshooting tools and branded Wi-Fi portals. The system also provides multi-layer access for SMBs, internet service providers and channel partners to manage performance and view information across devices and applications.

Airties said its software supports app-based installation and self-care checks, while background optimisation is intended to reduce faults before users notice them. For operators, the system is also designed to provide broader visibility across SMB customer bases, which could help shape service design and support operations.

The commercial case for providers rests on two factors: charging more than for residential broadband and reducing support costs through remote management. That combination is becoming more important for broadband operators facing margin pressure in consumer markets and looking for segments where service differentiation is possible.

For Hitron, the arrangement extends the use of its gateway hardware into a more specific business case. The company has shipped more than 50 million devices worldwide over more than three decades and sells products across DOCSIS and PON gateways, Wi-Fi systems, diagnostics tools and cloud services.

Airties, which works with service providers including AT&T, Bouygues Telecom, Cox, Deutsche Telekom, Telia, Telstra, T-Mobile US and Vodafone, is positioning the partnership around software that can work across different access technologies. That may appeal to providers with mixed fibre, cable, DSL and fixed wireless networks.

Executive views

The companies framed the new relationship around the commercial opportunity in smaller business broadband.

"SMBs represent one of the largest and most underserved monetization opportunities for ISPs and closing the product gap between residential and enterprise platforms is a strategic imperative," said Metin Taskin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Airties. "By combining Hitron's high-performance gateways with Airties Pro, we're giving operators a purpose-built platform to help unlock meaningful new revenue streams by providing their SMB customers with the kind of reliability, visibility, and security their businesses require."

Hitron made a similar case for the role of hardware and software integration in serving this market.

"Hitron has spent years perfecting gateway performance for demanding environments, and pairing our hardware with Airties Pro's software gives leading-edge ISPs a purpose-built connectivity platform built specifically for the SMB market," said Greg Fisher, President and Chief Technology Officer, Hitron. "Together with Airties, we're giving operators the performance foundation and the intelligence they need to turn an underserved segment into a meaningful new revenue stream and market differentiator."