Multi award-winning telecoms company Aerial Direct plans to double in size after settling into life in Fareham

Formed in 2012, Aerial Direct was incorporated as part of an existing working relationship through which it was able to quickly and effectively accelerate the growth of the company.

Through setting up industry-leading acquisition and retention programmes, the company has cemented itself as O2’s largest channel partner.

Fast forward to April 2017, when Aerial Direct merged with Portsmouth telecoms firm Aerial Telephones (famous in the area for its oversized Nokia handset mounted to the side of the building which told the time), Aerial Direct acquired 1 Barnes Wallis Road in Segensworth, Fareham and began the refurbishment of what was about to become its new headquarters with the assistance of Havant-based Interior design firm Spectrum.

In September 2018, Aerial Direct opened the doors of its brand new offices to the community, local businesses, its client base and partners. This landmark further accelerated what was already a cascade of achievements for outstanding customer service and business growth awards from a number of industry governing bodies.

Aerial Direct's accelerated growth has seen it remain as O2’s largest connecting channel partner, and collect the O2 customer excellence award year after year.

As a unified telecoms provider, Aerial Direct acquired technology partner IPCortex in March 2019, which has seen it strengthen its fixed lines offering. As the ISDN switch-off is on the horizon, having a wholly-owned entity provides Aerial Direct with an excellent opportunity to further enhance its unified communications offering and attract new business by offering feature and benefit-rich telephone solutions that can be scaled seamlessly.

Growing from a small team of 12 people, Aerial Direct is now one of the largest employers in the area, employing circa 300 people with a view to doubling in size over the next four years.

Through technological advancements and adjacent technologies, such as 5G, it is now able to offer a future-proof telephony solution that can revolutionise the way businesses communicate, thus fully empowering remote-working.

Aerial Direct’s Operations Director and long-term employee Gary Strickland-Smith said of the company's vision of growth: 'If you walk around the business, you quickly begin to see that hard work and a passion to deliver only the very best for our customers is what truly drives our employees.

‘Our CEO’s vision of revolutionising the way in which businesses communicate comes to life through every employee’s contribution to every customer engagement.'

Aerial Direct is a proud sponsor of this year's The News Business Excellence Awards. For more on the company, click here