AirSpeed €7.2m turnover result of 'aggressive' targeting

TELECOMS FIRM AirSpeed saw turnover rise 48.5 per cent last year, with its managing director confident the company will reach the €10 million milestone in the near future.

The company, which provides wireless high-bandwidth voice and data services and was set up in 2002, said its turnover for the year was €7.2 million, compared with the previous year’s figures of €4.8 million. Accounts filed for the year showed pre-tax profit of almost €4.8 million.

However managing director Liam O’Kelly said AirSpeed’s turnover growth has not been a sudden success, with the firm putting in decent growth figures in the prior years as a result of its “aggressive” targeting of business. The company is aiming for 40 per cent growth year on year and has achieved that despite the downturn, he said.

O’Kelly attributes the company’s success in part to its clear focus on its core business.

“We have a very clear focus on what we’re about, and we don’t diverge much from that,” he said

“Our emphasis is on delivering a carrier class service for corporate and government-type clients, and to ensure that it is delivered to the highest quality.”

The company provides its services to areas that may not be served by fibre, or that cannot get the bandwidth from the existing suppliers in the area.

The end result is that AirSpeed says it has almost no churn in terms of its customer base. “Nowadays customers are happy to change provider often for very little monetary savings,” O’Kelly said. “We don’t experience that.”

Among the services offered to clients is Livelinx, which allows organisations to broadcast live events or expert commentary directly to the end user without the need for crews and satellite time, using a high-capacity licensed wireless link using the IP protocol in its place

The company counts broadcasters TV3 and RTÉ among its customers, along with Ashford Studios, and stockbrokers such as Davy, Merrion Capital and NCB.

Ongoing investment is also a major part of AirSpeed’s growth, with the company investing €2.4 million since January 2010 as part of a longer-term plan.