Sparkplug Taps SMBs with Broadband Wireless

As a service provider, Sparkplug leverages the ability to monitor and manage QoS across the network, regardless of what vendor is used for endpoints. “We've built our systems to keep on top of bandwidth usage, measure and monitor traffic, and advise the customer if they're reaching their limits, then fix it,” Malloy explained. “It’s a level of visibility that, thanks to what's evolved with Motorola’s IP-based radios and Ethernet delivery, just adds up to a better experience for the customer.”

Brimhall said the manageability afforded by Motorola’s management suite also sets Sparkplug apart from its competitors. “Call it having business practices behind the network to manage traffic all the way to the endpoint,” he said. “If you're a cable or DSL provider, you can't call into the support system and pull up at the minute or second level where the problem is, and within minutes determine where things went wrong. Their service delivery environment just doesn't allow that. We, [using] Motorola, can do that and therefore offer a very low mean time to repair.”

Thirst for Broadband

Businesses may know they need broadband, but success lies in asking about what the broadband is needed for, such as, will the business be running a VPN.

A simple dish mounted on the rooftop of a business location like this one in Nashville — a Sparkplug deployment — can bring in multiple megabits of broadband.

Source: Motorola Inc.

“We’re seeing a big increase in broadband needs in terms of the amount of bandwidth these smaller companies need,” said Malloy. “We'll find companies that might have only 10 employees, but they have an incredible appetite for broadband thanks to all the data-heavy applications they’re using.”

“In one case we had two offices four miles apart and one office was the main accounting office with a server with QuickBooks, and it wasn’t working properly,” added Brimhall. “But the company wasn’t aware of the data needs of QuickBooks. To run that over a VPN takes a significantly bigger broadband connection than what they had, more in the range of 15mbps—something we were able to fix with a scalable, dedicated wireless connection. Consulting on that kind of issue is what makes us a true service provider.”

Indeed, specialized applications are driving more and more bandwidth usage in particular customer segments. “If at the core they live and die by the broadband connection, that's who we serve,” said Malloy. “That said, we're in the heart of the metro areas and we do find certain verticals that are quick on the uptake of what we supply and serve.”

For instance, new media and marketing companies have become a large well of opportunity. “These companies have a lot of digitized media and files, and they do a lot of streaming and are deadline-centric, and in general put an inordinate amount of pressure on a broadband connection, so that the copper line is no longer enough,” explained Brimhall. “It’s a similar story with digitized printing companies, who are often working with agencies and media companies to print their materials.”

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