Paolo Santoro and Paolo Recagno from Minerva Communications explain why they decided to become Proximity Operators^® and what are the opportunities in the B2B market

Launch a corporate network support company, then the discovery of the world of proximity operators and the desire to venture into the sector.

Paolo Santoro and Paolo Recagno they begin working in the telecommunications world, founding their first company in Genoa named Minerva Solutions: 

"We started by providing support for corporate networks. At a certain point, we realized we were tired of dealing with the big players in the sector, like Telecom and Fastweb, because it became complicated to solve our clients' problems with them. So, we wanted to try working with independent providers, partly out of ambition, partly to explore new paths," they explain to Assoprovider.

The knowledge of proximity operators, their market, and the direct way they interface with customers leads them to want to become providers themselves.

Thus is born Minerva Communications which also offers fiber connection services, VoIP, and cloud-based PBXs. 

The complexity of bureaucracy

The two founders are well-versed in the technical aspect, being two system administrators. However, in the transition to proximity operators, they must contend with the difficulty of the bureaucratic part, facing dilemmas to resolve, for example, whether registration with Roc was necessary and not with Mise. Or were both required?

In Imperia, they know a member of Assoprovider explaining to them how the association could represent a solution to their problems: 

"Assoprovider has helped us in the construction process by providing the opportunity to engage with other entrepreneurs on thorny issues that are complex to solve for those who have not yet faced them and need guidance," they continue.

Telecommunications, a market with great potential

The founders of Minerva Communications explain how investing today in the world of telecommunications for a small and medium-sized enterprise represents a great opportunity, especially in the market B2B: 

«Let's think about the many professionals, accountants, lawyers, who need constant support and cannot rely on large operators that cannot guarantee them this tailored assistance. To seize the opportunities in this market, however, it is necessary to network with other operators to ensure the quality of services and prevent large operators from saturating the market», they emphasize.

Today, Minerva Communications can rely on a team of 10 people. To those who want to start a proximity operator business, it is recommended to structure with a commercial and four or five work figures, including salespeople, customer care managers, and installers.