Lightyear Case Study: Elauwit Connection

Discover how Elauwit, an ISP/MSP serving over 20,000 units leveraged Lightyear’s Procurement and Network Inventory Manager to secure the best rates, efficiently track circuit installations, and manage service tickets and renewals post-installation.

Meet the Client

Elauwit Connection is a managed service provider offering high-speed internet services to hundreds of apartment buildings across 20 US states, serving more than 20,000 units. Elauwit was founded by the same co-founders of “Elauwit 1.0,” an older iteration of the current Elauwit which provided managed services in over 40 states before selling to Boingo Wireless in 2018. The current iteration of Elauwit, “Elauwit 2.0,” is just four years old, but is taking past learnings and relationships into account to grow at a much faster pace. In fact, they’re on pace to double in 2024! 

For this case study, we sat down with Taylor Jones, Elauwit’s President & CTO, about how he’s managed a rapidly expanding telecom operation while keeping costs optimized and headcount limited.

A Fresh Start with Old Challenges

Taylor co-founded the new Elauwit in 2020, just two years after Elauwit 1.0’s acquisition by Boingo Wireless. The new Elauwit would have a similar operating model to the Elauwit of old, with an emphasis on the original Elauwit’s core strength (cost-effective, no-frills high-speed apartment internet!) and lofty goals for speedy expansion. This put Taylor, the company’s technical and operational leader, in charge of customer service, network design, ISP operations, product, and more in an organization that would be moving much faster than before. 

As an MSP / ISP, Elauwit always faced the standard issues around circuit procurement: ISP workflows for quoting and network evaluation were extremely painful and manual, ISPs provide no price transparency, circuit installs are a huge pain, and circuit lifecycle management is a laborious manual process. Taylor has tried utilizing telecom brokers to handle circuit procurement for him, but they were never able to deliver - their ISP relationships were always limited, their negotiation skills weren’t great, and they were slow and manual themselves. Taylor would end up honing this skill internally, handling ISP operations with full-time Carrier Access Managers at Elauwit.

At the new Elauwit, these issues initially became more acute, as Taylor would be responsible for sourcing dozens of dedicated circuits quarterly. Thankfully, one of the advantages of Elauwit 2.0 was the discovery of Lightyear.

A Comprehensive Solution to Elauwit’s Telecom Woes

Upon his discovery of Lightyear via word of mouth, Taylor trialed Lightyear alongside his internal procurement methodology but quickly recognized the power of Lightyear's automated, data-driven bidding process and intuitive interface. From the outset, Lightyear was able to speed up and optimize Taylor’s dedicated circuit sourcing process with faster, more exhaustive automated bidding and data-driven delivery of excellent pricing.

Taylor then fully embraced the Lightyear platform after realizing its potential as a "one-stop shop" for all telecom needs. Beyond just bidding, negotiating, and contracting new circuits, Taylor was impressed by Lightyear's ability to support the entire lifecycle of telecom procurement—a capability other solutions lacked.

As Elauwit’s growth necessitated greater procurement needs, Taylor further harnessed the power of Lightyear's suite of tools. Using the platform’s Installation Project Manager and Network Inventory Manager, Taylor was able to track and manage ongoing circuit installs and then post-install, deal with service issues, tickets, and renewals. These tools proved invaluable to address the time-sensitive nature of many of Elauwit's projects. Taylor was able to track installations to meet varied timelines, prioritizing and escalating as needed to ensure the timely delivery of services. 

Continued Growth for Elauwit

Looking ahead, Taylor anticipates continued growth for Elauwit and will continue to expand his network scope with Lightyear. Further, more vendors and invoices have meant more bill payment woes, causing Taylor to evaluate Lightyear’s Bill Consolidation product to further streamline carrier bill payment and invoice auditing.

Taylor ended our interview by noting how Lightyear has continuously empowered Elauwit to navigate continuous rapid expansion.