Aperto gets funding infusion

Fixed broadband wireless vendor Aperto Networks will use a $22 million equity cash infusion to beef up its sales and support efforts, including hiring more personnel. The new money, announced today, brings Aperto’s total financial backing to $57 million. The equity round was led by Canaan Partners, with participation from existing investors Alliance Ventures, Innovacom, Tyco Ventures and Satwik Ventures.

“We’ve been very conservative in how we’ve been running the business. This allows us to expand our initial success [and] build out our sales and support organization more,” said Alan Menezes, Aperto’s marketing vice president.

The Milpitas, Calif.-based firm has about 85 employees working on its fixed broadband wireless delivery system aimed at commercial customers. Additionally, Aperto wants to cash in on the growing Wi-Fi space, especially in the backhaul.

“Broadband wireless can make a huge difference,” Menezes said. “You have much better bandwidth with broadband wireless” than the comparable T-1 full duplex 1.5 Mb/s stream that hot spot providers are using.

It’s also cheaper and faster to use a fixed broadband backhaul, Menezes said.

“You can have your payback in a matter of months, rather than having a monthly T-1 fee,” he said.

Cometa Networks, recently formed by a triumvirate of IBM, Intel and AT&T, has said it would use AT&T’s network for the backhaul, seemingly putting a crimp in Menezes’ plans.

“It’s an early stage of the market, where there are several companies developing the hot spots market. Ultimately, like anything else, it’s going to have to be cost-competitive. They’ll have to look at their monthly costs and look at our business models,” he said. “It’s a market that’s a very good match for what we do.”