Can a family-run business compete with the major players in telecommunications? The answer is provided by the story of Carmelo Di Salvo, Sicilian entrepreneur who launched in 2019 CDA Net, a proximity operator that today covers the provinces of Enna, Agrigento, and Caltanissetta with its Internet services:

"We are a family-run business. We started in 2012, initially dealing with point-to-point connections and security and video surveillance systems. However, my father had already been in the telecommunications sector for 40 years. In 2019, we wanted to evolve by entering the satellite coverage market," explains Carmelo at Assoprovider.

A passion born in childhood

Carmelo explains how his passion for telecommunications was born, starting from his memories of when he was a child:

"I spent many afternoons in my father's van traveling around Italy, especially when he worked in the North. I also spent Saturdays and Sundays this way, when the company called him to handle repairs for faults or malfunctions. That's where my passion was born, which continued when my father started his own business," says Carmelo.

A passion that leads him to want to perfect the family business day by day, which he still manages today with his father, mother, and an external consultant who handles the network part:

"I saw our security systems not functioning properly due to lack of connectivity. And that's why we decided to launch CDA Net, to help our customers have the best possible connection."

Today, CDA Net works with three types of clients, a business audience composed of small and medium-sized enterprises (over 200), the consumer market (more than 600 customers), and public administrations: the company supports seven municipalities.

The meeting with Assoprovider

Carmelo is gradually approaching the world of Assoprovider. First by following social activities and thenparticipating in the association's first event in Palermo. 

"I immediately liked the atmosphere, the opportunity to meet people who shared my interests and challenges. What do I expect from Assoprovider? To have 360-degree support on regulatory and fiscal issues and to be able to share experiences and viewpoints with other members."

To those who wish to follow in his footsteps and become a proximity operator, Carmelo advises "to gain a wide range of experiences to have a comprehensive view of the sector, and to join an association: without it, you risk groping in the dark due to the complexity of the documentation in the field. With this type of support, you can launch a solid project on the market, capable of generating liquidity and creating profits, with meticulous attention to customers and details."