Propel Thinks Globally

The accelerator specializing in very very big ISPs announces gains across the globe.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [December 2, 2005]

Santa Clara, Calif.-based accelerator vendor Propel announced at ISPCON that it is making big gains around the world. Specifically, on October 19, 2005, it announced a new customer win: Russia On Line (ROL), an ISP with 400,000 subscribers.

The acceleration market remains very competitive. Three vendors were on the show floor: Propel, SlipStream Data, and Artera Turbo.

At ISP-Planet, we believe that any ISP offering dialup or low speed broadband should also offer acceleration, and that every ISP should test the various available products from Artera Turbo, Propel, QuikCAT, Bytemobile, ICT, Proxyconn, and Slipstream Data. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and each company in the industry has a proprietary method, often involving compression, to deliver web pages faster over a low speed connection.

Propel's niche expertise in this market, say its principals, is the ability to serve large ISPs such as EarthLink and Cincinnati Bell.

Now it is touting that expertise all over the world. In addition to a win in Russia, the company announced major Australian ISP Primus, iiNet (also of Australia), Orcon of New Zealand, CyberInternet of Pakistan, KSC of Thailand, and VGNT of Vietnam.

"We will go anywhere there are low speed users with low speed connections looking for a better experience," said David Murray, Propel co-founder, president, and COO.

And so the company remains focused on the low speed world. Although the number of low speed users in the U.S. is shrinking, Propel maintains a sales presence here.

With small ISPs, Murray says, the company's Propel Complete solution, which has been available for about a year now, has been especially successful.

Propel Complete is a fully outsourced service offered at a flat rate of $500 per month serving up to 5,000 users. Propel continues to argue that ISPs should offer acceleration to all subscribers, but gives ISPs the choice of whether or not to do so.

But looking overseas, it sees significant opportunities in every nation.

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