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Towerstream, the dedicated internet access (DIA) provider, is launching a new wholesale division to provide last-mile services to telecommunications carriers in North America.

The wholesale services will use Towerstream’s existing building footprint in 12 major markets and its 25-days-or-less installation time for fixed wireless. The company says the move is a key step in its growth strategy.

Towerstream’s Eddie Ortega

Ernie Ortega, Towerstream’s CEO, tells Channel Partners the addition of the wholesale marketplace could add another dimension to the relationship between Towerstream and its channel partners.

“If there are pre-existing relationships that our partners have with key North American carriers, Towerstream will then determine which channel direct/indirect would be in the best position to manage those accounts,” he said. “It potentially could create new opportunities for Towerstream’s partners as they could leverage their pre-existing relationships and market Towerstream’s last-mile footprint to these carriers in the 12 markets that Towerstream competes in.”

Towerstream’s coverage area includes 392,000 addressable buildings within a four-mile radius of its 145 points of presence (PoPs) on top of large multi-tenant buildings in major markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago.

“By using our fixed wireless network, carriers do not have to wait for fiber infrastructure to be installed,” Ortega said. “These competitive advantages, combined with our bandwidth speeds ranging from 10 megabits per second to 10 gigabits per second, will enable our carrier partners to provide the solutions their customers need quickly, reliably and cost-effectively.”

Towerstream offers broadband services in 12 urban markets including New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area, Miami, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas-Reno and the greater Providence area. It is on 2,800 rooftops and growing.

Ortega, who joined Towerstream early this year, heads up the company’s new management team, which is focusing on growing the business. Ortega has 30 years of telecom experience with companies including MCI, XO Communications, Colt and Cogent; and other members of the leadership team all have more than 25 years of industry experience.