A Silicon Valley Startup’s Struggle for Reliable Internet

The Problem

A fast-growing Silicon Valley startup relocated its headquarters to Mountain View, California. Like many tech companies, having a fast, reliable Internet connection was critical to its success.

In April 2015, the company turned to a major national ISP after sales reps confirmed service was available at the new office. Confident in that promise, the CEO signed a two-year agreement for 100 Mbps / 20 Mbps service at nearly $200 per month.

Shortly after moving in, however, the ISP revealed that the office was outside its service zone and building infrastructure wasn’t financially feasible. Months of excuses left the startup stranded without connectivity.

The only fallback was painfully slow DSL, completely inadequate for a high-tech business.

Worse still, when the CEO tried to cancel and recover a $2,100 deposit, the ISP threatened over $60,000 in cancellation fees — for a service that had never been installed.

• False Promise of Availability: Website and sales reps gave misleading assurances.
• Operational Delays: Months without connectivity hurt productivity.
• Financial Risk: Thousands of dollars trapped in deposits and threatened penalties.

The Solution

Etheric Networks Steps In

With operations at risk, the company turned to Etheric Networks. Etheric quickly deployed a wireless solution delivering 100 Mbps symmetrical speeds, bypassing the need for fiber or coax infrastructure.

This immediate service gave the startup the performance it needed to keep growing without interruption.

The Result

Immediate Connectivity: Service was up and running when no one else could deliver.

High Performance: Reliable, symmetrical speeds supported cloud services and daily operations.

Business Continuity: The company avoided costly downtime and was able to focus on innovation.