In the two years since Broadview Networks set up a sales office in Providence, the telecommunications company has more than doubled sales in the state. Still, the company remains a small player in a market dominated by giants such as Cox Communications and Verizon Communications.

Broadview is one of several small telecommunications companies to enter the market since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 made the larger players in the industry provide access to parts of their infrastructure at a competitive price...

...But Broadview isn’t the only provider to the small and medium-size business segment in the state. One Communications has been selling telecom services to that segment since 1998 and has 10,000 customers in Rhode Island. Broadview has about 1,000 customers in the state.

Dennis Nally, branch manager of One Communication’s Lincoln office, said one of the challenges of competing in the market is the fact that the industry is changing...“There’s a lot of interest about IP telephony...

The companies are similar in that they rely heavily on face-to-face interaction with customers to grow their referable customer base...

...Rhode Island provides a unique advantage as well because of its size, Ficarra said. The business (or customer) network is easier to maneuver because it is so tightly knit. Word gets around faster.