2nd Century

About 2nd Century

2nd Century Communications Inc. was a telecommunications company established in Tampa, Florida, in 1998 by Oscar Williams and three of his former colleagues from Intermedia Communications Inc. The founders' experience at a major telecom firm shaped their initial strategy, which was to replicate Intermedia's infrastructure and services at a lower cost for business clients. The company specialized in providing local, long-distance, and Internet access to small and medium-sized businesses.

The firm operated as an open network application service provider, offering a unified communications and desktop computing environment. This model was designed to give smaller enterprises access to powerful internet networking tools. The company's initial business plan, as envisioned by its founders, was to grow methodically, using the revenue generated in one market to finance expansion into the next. However, a different strategic direction was pursued after securing significant investment. According to co-founder Mike Viren, investors pushed for rapid expansion across multiple markets to build a large national footprint quickly, a move intended to attract Wall Street interest.

This aggressive growth strategy led the company to expand into 28 markets with 500 employees. Despite raising substantial capital, including an early-stage venture round of $10 million in July 1998, the company struggled to achieve profitability and scale its customer base, which never exceeded 300 nationwide. After burning through approximately $175 million in less than three years and failing to secure additional funding, 2nd Century Communications ceased operations in May 2001. The company's headquarters had been relocated from Tampa to the Washington D.C. area a year before its closure.