TMCnews Featured Article

Airband Communications (News - Alert), a provider of fixed-wireless voice and data services to businesses in the U.S., recently announced the signing of an agreement with Boston-based ABRY Partners, LLC, to provide $20 million in financing to further Airband’s growth.

“The surging demand for high-quality data, VoIP and business continuity services and the explosion of cloud-based computing present us with exceptional growth opportunities,” said Airband CEO Michael Ruley (News - Alert), in a release. “With this new capital, we can increase our network coverage to better support regional and national accounts, including marquee brands that want Airband services in hundreds of locations.”

Business is certainly booming at Airband, now serving 17 U.S. markets, due in great part to the ever-increasing business demand for data connectivity, high-speed Internet access and voice over IP (VoIP). With fresh growth capital from ABRY Partners, which will now have a seat on its board, Airband plans to expand network coverage and capacity in existing markets; consolidate existing debt facilities to optimize capital structure; and acquire fixed-wireless providers with contiguous geographic operations to complement Airband’s existing territory, according to the company.

The company has grown significantly since a merger with Sparkplug (News - Alert) Communications last year by offering customers a portfolio of services that meet their demand for high-bandwidth access, transition from traditional voice services to VoIP and network diversity from wireline providers.

“We are excited to join the current shareholders of Airband and its management team in their growth plans,” said Nicolas Massard, Principal at ABRY Partners.  “We believe the company is very well positioned and will benefit greatly from the rapid adoption of high-bandwidth intensive applications by enterprises.”

Recently, Airband announced that it has partnered with eXemplify Group to install a 450-seat hosted VoIP and Internet access solution for a business center owner.

In addition, Airband strengthened its indirect sales by adding master agency, PlanetOne Communications, to its Channel Program. PlanetOne provides alternative voice, data and wireless solutions that help businesses increase productivity while reducing expenses. By leveraging Airband’s fixed-wireless network, PlanetOne can offer its customers reliable and high-quality services, including Internet access, data services, hosted VoIP, SIP trunking and a unique, single-source business continuity solution.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.