Elevating Connectivity Across the Nation

Redefining Internet Service in Multi-Dwelling Units with a Specialized, Customer-First Approach

 

Zentro Internet has been making waves as a key player in the digital infrastructure industry. The company’s presence in the industry demonstrates the profitability of mastering niche markets.

Zentro’s specialized focus on multi-dwelling units (MDUs) and commitment to superior customer service translate directly into a highly effective and profitable business model.

The company’s remarkable journey began with the hallmark merger that set the stage for the key acquisitions that have made Zentro into the largest independent MDU-focused internet provider east of the Mississippi, showcasing a potent model for rapid, profitable market capture.

Zentro’s innovative ‘bulk internet’ model serves as a cornerstone of its operational success, as it sets the stage for several operational efficiencies that traditional models struggle to replicate or simply cannot.

The success of this model is further amplified by Zentro’s healthy obsession with customer service.

The company’s extraordinary first-quarter transactional Net Promoter Score of positive 37 places it in the league of customer service titans like Amazon.com and Starbucks, starkly contrasting with its competitors’ often negative scores.

Zentro’s customer satisfaction directly fuels retention and referrals, serving as a powerful and cost-effective growth engine.

Beyond strategic mergers and a refined business model, Zentro also leverages cutting-edge technology like its unique ‘instant-on’ service and the Zentro IQ app, which empower users and reduce support overhead.

The company’s investment in Wi-Fi 6/7 technologies and the development of “Smart MDU” property-wide roaming, in collaboration with Calix, demonstrates a forward-thinking mindset that effectively meets and anticipates the unique connectivity needs of MDUs.

From this, a key question emerges: What further innovations are on the horizon for an organization that so effectively combines operational efficiency with customer delight?

It’s time to discover how Zentro Internet consistently transforms specialized service into tangible market dominance and financial prosperity.

Preparing to Serve an Old Niche with New Tricks

The inception of Zentro Internet was built on a combination of keen foresight and a profound understanding of a specific market.

The company was born from the merger of two Chicago-based independent internet service providers, Everywhere Wireless and Silver IP. Everywhere Wireless excelled in providing internet services to new apartment buildings, while Silver IP specialized in condominiums.

After both companies were acquired by M/C Partners, a private equity firm, Zentro was officially established in 2022, driven by opportunistic logic.

“Generally, both businesses didn’t compete with each other; they were both technically doing the same thing. So, bringing them together naturally seemed like the smartest thing to do,” says CEO Dave Dobbin.

The amalgamation of these two complementary entities created a unified force, leveraging their combined strengths to serve multi-dwelling units (MDUs) more comprehensively.

This initial consolidation laid the groundwork for the new company to effectively focus on a unique segment of the internet service market.

After its formation, Zentro embarked on a period of significant expansion in 2023.

“We acquired some properties from a former ISP called GigaMonster after they went bankrupt, and that put us in the Atlanta market, as well as Richmond, Virginia. It also provided us with several properties in Miami, Florida. So, that really expanded our geographical scope,” Dobbin explains.

Within the same year, Zentro further expanded its reach by acquiring Snip Internet, an ISP similar to its predecessors, with a focus on apartment buildings in Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Columbus, Ohio.

Thanks to these acquisitions, Zentro Internet now holds a strong position as the largest MDU-focused internet provider in the eastern United States, making it the largest independent MDU provider east of the Mississippi.

This calculated growth has enabled Zentro to concentrate its operations in densely populated urban centers, aligning with its business model, which thrives on population density.

Identifying the Bulk of Zentro’s Service Model

Zentro’s core business revolves around what Dobbin refers to as “bulk internet.”

“Rather than selling to the individual apartment or condo unit in a building… we focus on selling to the building owner or the HOA of the condominium,” Dobbin explains.

Under this unique service model, approximately 70% of Zentro’s operations involve selling internet service directly to building owners or condominium HOAs, rather than individual residents.

This approach offers significant advantages for all parties involved.

Residents benefit from more competitive pricing due to the bulk agreement, while HOAs and landlords find value in the ability to bundle internet into rent, charge an amenity fee, or use it as a desirable perk, similar to a gym or garbage collection.

For Zentro, this streamlines its billing process by consolidating multiple units into a single bill for the landlord.

Despite the bulk sales model, Dobbin explains that “the end-user is always serviced by a Zentro technician or received by the Zentro Call Center.”

Regarding the remainder of Zentro’s business, while the company primarily focuses on MDUs, it also handles some commercial and retail internet services. However, across all segments, its superior customer service remains its primary competitive advantage.

Zentro doesn’t waste any energy or capital trying to out-market industry giants, as it would be a pointless endeavor. Instead, the company focuses on delivering a significantly better service experience than its competitors.

Emphasizing service quality over service quantity results in more responsive, genuinely concerned support from U.S.-based personnel dedicated to resolving customer issues.

“We won’t stop until we fix the problem. We are obsessed with customer satisfaction. Plus, we can do better at servicing people because we understand the condo HOA or building owner more than our competitors do,” Dobbin says.

The logic here holds firm and true. Larger competitors may have a wider variety of service lanes, but when it comes to multi-dwelling units, Zentro’s experience far outclasses, outpaces, and outservices the competition.

So, Zentro’s deep understanding of MDU-specific needs distinguishes it in a way that allows it to be the biggest fish in a pond where even the largest ISPs have less experience swimming.

For example, unlike competitors who cater to diverse customer segments, Zentro’s singular focus on multi-dwelling units enables it to address the unique concerns of building owners, like mitigating water damage through sensor integration and providing network support for security cameras and access control systems.

Zentro even assists with optimizing common area heating and cooling systems through network solutions.

These are areas that, due to their wide reach, Zentro’s competitors simply don’t have the bandwidth to address. This specialized knowledge enables Zentro to be more than just an ISP; it becomes a strategic partner for building management.

The company offers unlimited data usage on all its internet packages and does not engage in data metering or throttling.

Customers can also select from various speeds, including 100, 500, or 1000 megabits per second, with some buildings even capable of 10 gigabits per second to individual units.

Additionally, Zentro provides cutting-edge Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 devices. However, the company’s most standout feature has to be its “instant-on” service for retail properties.

“It literally takes seconds, it’s instantaneous,” Dobbin explains. This feature allows new residents to quickly activate their internet by simply plugging in their devices and selecting a plan on a self-service sign-up page. “That’s something none of our competitors offer; it’s a phenomenal service.”

Lastly, Zentro’s proprietary Zentro IQ app gives customers control over their Wi-Fi settings, connected devices, and even allows for in-unit speed tests.

The Core Values Carrying Zentro toward the Future

Zentro’s operational excellence is rooted in five core corporate values: customer first, teamwork, continuous improvement, honesty, and integrity.

The “customer first” philosophy means always striving to solve problems faster and more proactively for the customer, so that services are so seamless that customers rarely need to contact support.

Dobbin aptly encapsulates the philosophy, saying, “The best call is no call at all.”

Teamwork ensures that every employee is dedicated to the customer’s needs, embracing a “no such thing as that’s not my job” mentality.

Continuous improvement is fostered through regular team sessions focused on enhancing processes and leveraging technology.

And last but certainly not least, honesty and integrity translate to transparency in all interactions.

These values are reinforced further by the overarching theme of positive exchange of control. This concept, borrowed from aviation, refers to a situation where responsibility for a customer issue must be explicitly acknowledged when it is passed between team members.

That is because accountability is paramount within Zentro’s operation, with a strong emphasis on fulfilling promises made to customers.

Looking ahead,  Zentro Internet is committed to continuous growth and enhancement.  “We’re always looking to enter new markets… we’re also looking at new products too. How can we add more value to our developer and HOA partners? So, we’re exploring things we can do with our partners on the technology side,” Dobbin says, noting that strategic partnerships also drive Zentro’s future.

Collaborations with industry-standard vendors like Juniper for core networking equipment ensure carrier-grade performance.

And a close partnership with Calix for customer premise equipment has led to the development of innovative solutions like “Smart MDU,” which enables seamless, property-wide Wi-Fi roaming for residents, a crucial feature in tall MDUs where cellular signals may be weak.

This allows residents to move throughout common areas, like pool decks or parking garages, with uninterrupted internet access.

As well-placed in its geographies as it is, Zentro still aims to expand into new, dense urban markets, always seeking opportunities to grow its footprint while maintaining its focus on providing unparalleled service.

As the company actively explores new product offerings and partnerships, its enduring presence continues to reinforce its mission to consistently deliver superior service and completely redefine the MDU internet experience.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Zentro Internet

What: The largest independent internet service provider focused exclusively on multi-dwelling units (MDUs) east of the Mississippi River.

Where: Zentro serves key metropolitan markets including Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Richmond, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Columbus.

Website: www.zentrointernet.com