Broadband Provider's Fast Track Brings Ft. Worth Class B, C Structures On-line

DALLAS-A broadband provider, with more than 11 million sf at 50 buildings under contract in Dallas, yesterday added several Ft. Worth buildings to its burgeoning “well-connected” portfolio.

T-Speed Broadband Communications Inc. delivers high-speed Internet access to class B and C structures. By week’s end, the company will have buildings on line in Garland, Plano and Arlington and connections in Little Rock, AR, El Paso and Houston by month’s end. In all, 24 new markets, and millions of sf, will be added to a developing nationwide portfolio within the next 120 days, N. Mark Varel, president and CEO, tells GlobeStcom. He says the firm, founded in February, is adding 10 to 12 buildings per week to its B2B portfolio, which is growing so quickly that executives aren’t quite sure of its total sf.

T-Speed’s aggressive rollout strategy is being fueled by the fact that it doesn’t enter a market unless it’s asked by building owners. A strategic alliance must be in place, emphasizes Varel.

Class B and C buildings, usually in tier two-classified cities, are prime candidates for broadband services. “It’s building enhancement to attract quality tenants,” he explains. While many B and C buildings are priced just right for smaller firms, such as design operations, they aren’t easily leased due to a lack of high-tech connections.

T-Speed installs ultra-lightweight rooftop dishes on the commercial structures and then runs a trunk down risers and installs Ethernet connections into offices. The dish antenna communicates with T-Speed’s points of presence, created by a central antenna or “hub” as it is called. There are six hubs servicing T-Speed’s Dallas customers and more will be added. “We plan to fully exploit the Dallas-Ft. Worth market because it’s our home. We believe in owning where we live,” says Varel.

T-Speed’s largest Dallas customer is the Dallas Cowboys, who have 100 computers at its Valley Ranch merchandising center on line with T-Speed’s high-speed delivery system. The company has been actively hawking its wares since mid-July in Dallas, where the service has been quietly beta-tested. “It’s clear there is a huge demand for high-speed wireless access to the Internet. It is equally clear that people are tired of the problems and long delays they must endure to obtain DSL or cable modem service,” says Varel.

He says the wireless link is not only cheaper for customers, but cities aren’t subjected to high costs and inconveniences associated with digging up streets to install high-speed fiber-optic infrastructures. T-Speed partners with Lucent, which provides fixed wireless technology, service and financing. Varel co-founded the company with John Adel Sr., a veteran of entrepreneurial high-tech operations in the region.