Hitron Technologies and Airties have announced a new strategic relationship to help ISPs serve the underserved small and medium business (SMB) segment. The companies made the announcement today at SCTE TechExpo26 in Atlanta. Airties is a global leader of AI-driven software that improves the connectivity experience for ISPs’ subscribers. The new SMB connectivity solution pairs Hitron’s high-performance SMB gateways with Airties Pro software. As a result, it closes the market gap between residential broadband and enterprise-grade systems. Hitron and Airties currently work with several service providers to bring the joint solution to their SMB customers. Both companies will showcase it at the event from September 29 to October 1.
Traditional Wi-Fi connectivity platforms have left SMBs choosing between solutions that do not address their needs. Residential-grade broadband costs less and is easy to operate. However, it lacks the security, network segregation, and business continuity that SMBs require. Enterprise-grade solutions, on the other hand, deliver strong performance and security. Yet they bring high costs, complexity, and long deployment timelines. These systems are often over-engineered for smaller environments. Airties Pro and Hitron combine to give SMBs critical business capabilities with simplicity and affordability. Meanwhile, ISPs can address an untapped monetization opportunity.
“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, CEO and co-founder of 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 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 CTO at 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.”
SMBs: The Untapped Market Opportunity for ISPs
Research from the Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) shows that 96% of SMBs believe technology is key to meeting their business objectives. Additionally, 46% are increasing their technology spend year over year. Moreover, 100% of SMBs said an internet outage would halt operations or cause significant revenue loss.1 Still, choosing the right solution is not simple. Some 43% of SMBs spend significant effort researching multiple providers and offers before they settle on a connectivity solution. Their top feature requests include network separation, pervasive coverage, and visibility into staff internet use.2
Therefore, ISPs must offer capabilities beyond connectivity to unlock new revenue streams in this fast-growing segment. At the same time, they must retain the user-friendliness of home Wi-Fi. With Hitron and Airties, ISPs can sell a tailored solution that increases ARPU relative to residential broadband. Business-critical features drive that increase. Furthermore, remote monitoring and troubleshooting lower the cost-to-serve.
Hitron and Airties: A Purpose-Built Platform for SMBs
Hitron’s advanced broadband gateways provide the high-performance foundation for SMB environments. Airties Pro then builds on that foundation with business-grade networking, security, and rich data insights. This SMB connectivity solution gives SMBs, ISPs, and channel partners secure, multi-layer access. They can remotely manage network performance and insights across devices and applications. SMBs can easily configure secure networks for employees and guests. They can also create their own branded Wi-Fi portals.
An intuitive app enables zero-touch installation and self-care checks. Consequently, business owners can operate and maintain the network without IT expertise. Meanwhile, AI-driven optimization works in the background and resolves issues before the owner notices. Finally, ISPs gain population-level visibility across their SMB customer base. This visibility helps them refine their service offerings and features.
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News Source: PRNewswire.com
