For Subscribers

Bonds Worth the Investment Broadband bonding patches together a bigger pipe with a price tag sized for small business.

By Dan O'Shea

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Small businesses find it tough to get what they need from big telecom service providers, which more often create offerings with big businesses in mind--"one-size-fits-all" solutions that may or may not fit.

In many cases, that one size is a T-1 line. At 1.5 megabits per second, that's faster than some business connection alternatives--but it also can cost as much as $1,000 per month. For the most part, service providers are not in a rush to develop a more flexible solution for small businesses that ultimately would subtract from their bottom lines. Fortunately, there's a work-around: an approach called broadband bonding. Simply put, it allows two or more broadband lines to be bonded into a single, more capacious pipe. Broadband bonding variations are offered by several companies, one of which is Mushroom Networks, founded in 2004 as a spinoff from the University of California, San Diego.

Mushroom offers a box called the Truffle (cute, huh?) that uses bonding to aggregate as many as six lines of any type--DSL, cable modem, wireless, even T-1s--into one Internet link that allows multiple end-user connections. The full aggregate bandwidth is available to any of the users.

Before you get worried about the potential cost of anything named after a pricey yet delicious fungus (the company also has a Porcini, which bonds four lines, and a Portabella, which aggregates wireless connections), listen to Mushroom CEO Cahit Akin's contention that the Truffle delivers return on investment in just a few months:

"Having two bonded DSL lines versus a T-1 can save you about 70 percent. We think there are small-business owners who have thought, 'Is there some way I could combine lines to increase bandwidth and save money?' These people have been looking to create options for themselves because they feel they have been faced with a lack of choices."

Dan O'Shea is a Chicago-based writer who has been covering telecom, mobile and other high-tech topics for nearly 20 years.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

Build a Profitable One-Person Business That Runs Itself — with These 7 AI Tools

Discover seven tools to automate content, leads and sales so you scale solo.

Business Solutions

Send Your Productivity Skyrocketing for Only $15 With Windows 11 Pro

Get advanced security and productivity features, plus game-changing AI assistant.

Making a Change

Serious About Professional Growth? $20 Gets You 1,000+ Expert-Led Courses for Life.

The secret to gaining proficiency in business tactics, coding, marketing strategies, and more.

Business Solutions

Cut Overhead, Not Capabilities: Microsoft Office Pro 2021 Is Just $49.97

Get Microsoft's pro tools at a startup-friendly price.