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Radar · Telecom Operators in San Francisco

Best Telecom Operators Companies in San Francisco, United States

The 32 best Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Race Communications.

32companies tracked
$1.1Bdisclosed funding
1unicorns
15have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · TELECOM OPERATORS × SAN FRANCISCO

Our analysis of 50 Telecom Operators companies

$110.6b in tracked funding; 98% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.

50companies analysed
98%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
1unicorns
2011median founding year

Ranked: Best Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco

#CompanyDisclosed fundingLast roundEmployeesFoundedFounderTech stackRecent signals
1Airwaive
Provider of the marketplace for hosting of wireless access points
——172020Jeff Yee
CEO
——
2Astound
Provider of internet, TV and telephony services
———1998Steve Weed
CEO
——
3Brief
App-based platform offering multi-category news
——42018Nick Hobbs
Co-Founder & CEO
Node.jsNextAuth.jsTailwind CSS+23—
4clearworks
At Clearworks we are passionate about helping companies with innovation.
——2501997———
5Easy Office Phone
Cloud-based telephony services provider
——502005———
6Infiniti WiFi
Provider of wifi internet services
———2015Greg ONeill
CEO & President
——
7Line2
Cloud-based business phone service providing second phone numbers on devices
——282006Peter Sisson
Co-Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+42—
8Mosaic NetworX
Managed SD-WAN, firewall, network, cybersecurity, and IT services provider
———2007—WordPressTypeScriptPHP+32—

Top 12 Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco

#1
Late Stage · San Francisco, California · founded 1994 · 209 employees
$375Mraised
▾

Race Communications is a telecommunication service provider which provides broadband internet, phone, video, data services and solutions to residential, SMEs and large enterprise users in the US state of California. The company offers fiber optic broadband internet services, local and long-distance landline telephone service, digital television service with DVR, on-demand and mobile streaming services, business phone systems, managed WiFi services and cost-effective bundle services. Some of its major business clients are Bank Of America, Electronic Arts, Yahoo, etc.

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 76how this company ranks against its industry peers
Growth
top 21%
Tech
top 24%
Funding
top 26%
Innovation
top 39%
Product
top 42%
Market
top 48%
Growth: Headcount 92 → 209 (+127%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Tech: 66 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Google Cloud · Observability: Sentry
Funding: Raised $375M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 2 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Conventional Debt (Sep 2024)
Audience (LinkedIn): 6k LinkedIn followers — 11.2% of this cohort's audience · 28 engagements/post (2.4× cohort median)
Activity (LinkedIn): 5 expansions announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Sep 2024Unattributed$375M
  • Sep 2024Conventional Debt$125M
  • Aug 2024Unattributed—
Investors
Oak Hill, AllianceBernstein, MEAG, Big Sky Partners, Asal Capital
Tech stack
AccessibeApple Icloud MailBootstrapCart FunctionalityCloudflareCore-Js
#2
Helium 🦄
Series D · San Francisco, California · founded 2006 · 61 employees
$369.8Mraised
▾

Hardware mining solutions for cryptocurrency. It connects low-powered machines to a single gateway and sends encrypted data through to the internet. It also provides rewards for users to connect time machines and gateways. It also raised equity funding from some of the most prominent venture capital firms.

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 69how this company ranks against its industry peers
Tech
top 11%
News
top 26%
Moat
top 26%
Talent
top 28%
Product
top 30%
Funding
top 36%
Tech: 75 technologies across 7/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon Web Services · Devops: Envoy, Nginx
News: 6 BI events in 12 mo (of 19 tracked, 5 types) · +50% YoY · 5 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 9/10 · Unicorn · 9 curated direct competitors tracked
Audience (LinkedIn): 28k LinkedIn followers — 55.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 product launches · 2 partnerships · 1 expansions (incl. Helium) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Feb 2022Series D$200M
  • Aug 2021Series D$111M
  • Jun 2019Series C$15M
  • Apr 2016Series B$20M
Investors
Union Square Ventures, Multicoin Capital, Khosla Ventures, Google Ventures, Munich Re Ventures, FirstMark
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon Web ServicesApolloAtlassian StatuspageBabelBootstrap
#3
Acqui-Hired · San Francisco, California · founded 2000 · 250 employees
$171.5Mraised
▾

Domain marketplace facilitating secure transactions with buyer protection and flexible payments. This platform offers a streamlined process for buying and selling domain names. It provides transaction support, ensuring secure payments and a fast, easy transfer of ownership. The platform offers a buyer protection program and flexible payment methods. It acts as an intermediary, connecting buyers and sellers in a reliable and trustworthy environment. The service simplifies domain acquisition, offering a user-friendly experience and peace of mind.

Funding rounds
  • Jan 2006Venture Debt$12M
  • Jan 2006Series E$20M
  • Mar 2005Series D$28.2M
  • Sep 2004Venture Debt$10M
Investors
SVB, Oak Investment Partners, Meritech, Menlo Ventures, Worldview Technology Partners, Comcast Ventures
#4
Series C · San Francisco, California · founded 2008 · 189 employees
$63.5Mraised
▾

Provider of internet services

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 14k LinkedIn followers — 27.4% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
  • Sep 2019Series C$20M
  • Mar 2018Series C$20M
  • Aug 2015Series B$23.5M
Investors
JAFCO Asia, Vickers Venture Partners, CBC Capital, GSR Ventures, Mesh Ventures, Premier Ventures
#5
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 13 employees
$34.3Mraised
▾

Common Networks is a fixed wireless internet service provider which provides cheap broadband internet to the residential customers of suburban areas in the US state of California. It uses software-defined networking (SDN) to manage the wireless mesh network's peer-to-peer architecture for interconnecting homes in a neighborhood providing data transmission at 5 GHz. This software driven networking approach allows only a few houses in a community to directly connect to the fiber-optic backbone network sources, thus reducing the expenditure of telecom infrastructure and data centers. It delivers 75-100 Mbps of Internet speed for $50 per month with free installation.

Funding rounds
  • Aug 2018Series B$25M
  • Jun 2017Series A$7M
  • 2016Seed$2.3M
Investors
Eclipse, Lux Capital, General Catalyst, Parcel B, Incite, Charge Ventures
Tech stack
Node.JsReactGoogle CloudNext.JsGoogle Cloud TraceWebpack
#6
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 1994 · 250 employees
$34.5Mraised
▾

Cloud communications solutions provider simplifying IT for business growth. They offer a comprehensive suite of cloud, hybrid, and on-premises communications platforms, business collaboration tools, video conferencing, and contact center solutions. Their offerings extend to productivity apps, phones, hardware, managed security, network connectivity, and power solutions. They provide open-source carrier SIP trunking services, catering to diverse industries like education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and retail. They focus on simplifying IT operations, enabling businesses to scale with confidence. They offer cost-effective solutions, tailored growth plans, and dedicated support, driven by innovation and a strong partner ecosystem. They are committed to customer success, providing reliable and scalable technology with a global presence and personalized support. Their solutions include unified communications, telephony, meetings, and messaging, bundled with network and security services.

Funding rounds
  • Feb 2017Conventional Debt$29M
  • Jan 2014PE—
  • Aug 2010Venture Debt$5.5M
  • Apr 2007Series A—
Investors
Gladstone Capital, Walden Venture Capital, Wellington Financial, Spire Capital, Azure Capital Partners, Small Business Credit Platform
#7
Series D · San Francisco, California · founded 2000 · 5 employees
$6.3Mraised
▾

Mobile business phone system providing advanced features and simplified communications. It delivers enterprise-level call management features to mobile staff, ensuring calls to the main company number are handled consistently. The system is preconfigured with a default voice menu that is easy to change. It connects clients with key staff, ensuring they get important calls. The company supports IETF vCon standardization, simplifying integration between live communication systems and AI/CRM systems. It offers mobile integration, simplifying business communications. The service includes features like call summaries and conversation feedback. It provides a mobile office phone system with high-quality cell minutes. The platform focuses on simplified communications, offering a mobile business phone service with tenanted administration and apps. It supports TLS and SRTP encryption, meeting customer and carrier requirements. The company offers a cloud-based solution, providing a mobile-first approach to business phone systems. It is a SaaS offering, providing subscription-based access to its features.

Funding rounds
  • Sep 2009Series D—
  • Jul 2007Series D—
  • Sep 2004Series A$6.2M
  • Apr 2003Seed$107.1K
Founders & team
Ivar PlahteCo-Founder & CEOMarie WoldCo-founder & CFO
Investors
NW Brown, IQ Capital
Tech stack
HstsCloudflareHttp/3
#8
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2017
$125Kraised
▾

Fast, affordable internet provider with local support and hassle-free installation. This neighborhood provider delivers clear and affordable internet service, eliminating buffering with high speeds suitable for multiple streaming devices. They offer hassle-free installation, making the switch easy. Customers appreciate the quick and painless setup, reliable performance, and the advantage of supporting a local business. This provider focuses on delivering a seamless online experience with a commitment to customer satisfaction. They provide internet access to homes. They are a B2C company. They offer subscription based pricing.

Funding rounds
  • 2018Seed$125K
Founders & team
Benjamin HuangFounder
Investors
Y Combinator, Socialatom Group, Investo, Sinai Ventures
#9
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2015
$125Kraised
▾

Web3 powered WiFi networks for emerging markets, connecting the next billion. The company builds and operates low-cost public WiFi networks, providing super-fast, super-cheap internet access. Focused on emerging markets with high data demand, it empowers local cable operators to deploy and maintain hotspots. The company utilizes a utility token to drive the network and reward stakeholders. It is building a new data-only network for a data-hungry generation. The company leverages blockchain technology and a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) to democratize internet access. It offers products like Dabba Lite and Dabba Pro. The company's business model has a social impact by bringing internet access to underserved communities.

Funding rounds
  • Mar 2017Seed$125K
Founders & team
Karam LakshmanCo-FounderShubhendu SharmaCo-Founder
Investors
Y Combinator, Soma Capital, 11-11 DG Partners, Dot Edu Ventures, Borderless Capital
Tech stack
CalendlyCart FunctionalityCloudflareGitbookGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Font Api
#10
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2014 · 10 employees
$50Kraised
▾

MVNO providing mobile services to the customers and NGOs

Funding rounds
  • Apr 2018Seed$50K
  • Aug 2015Seed—
Investors
Civic Accelerator, 500 Global, Sorenson Impact Foundation
Tech stack
CloudflareHttp/3
#11
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2022 · 6 employees
—raised
▾

Provider of private 5G network solutions featuring AI and dSIM technology. The company delivers standalone platforms for private network deployment. It offers solutions including indoor coverage, SIM swap protection, AI predictive maintenance, and video analytics. The platform supports peer node validation and neutral hosting.

Funding rounds
  • 2023Seed—
Founders & team
Karsten OhmeCo-Founder & CTOIsmaila WaneCo-Founder & CEO
Investors
500 Global, Varys Capital, RW3 Ventures
#12
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2021 · 21 employees
—raised
▾

Decentralized-based payment platform for cryptocurrency. Users can begin proposing and voting on changes. It develops autonomous driving technology for off-road applications. Its a privacy-focused, affordable mobile network owned and operated by its users.

Funding rounds
  • Apr 2022Seed—
Investors
Slow Ventures, DISH Wireless, Delphi, OVN Capital, Acorn Pacific Ventures, Chainview Capital

Funding & investor landscape

$1.1Btotal disclosed funding
10companies funded
31disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Borderless Capital3 rounds
Y Combinator3 rounds
11-11 DG Partners2 rounds
500 Global2 rounds
Slow Ventures2 rounds
0xFu1 rounds
10T1 rounds
11-11 Investments1 rounds
AU21 Capital1 rounds
Acorn Pacific Ventures1 rounds

Notable founders

Ivar Plahte
Co-Founder & CEO · OnRelay
Marie Wold
Co-founder & CFO · OnRelay
Benjamin Huang
Founder · Necto
Karam Lakshman
Co-Founder · Dabba
Shubhendu Sharma
Co-Founder · Dabba
Karsten Ohme
Co-Founder & CTO · Bloxtel
Ismaila Wane
Co-Founder & CEO · Bloxtel
Haseeb Awan
Founder · efani
Andrew Ta
Co-Founder · Flowzo
Thu Nguyen
Co-Founder · Flowzo
Joseph Walla
CEO · HelloFax
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 1,001,238 docs

Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage

Share of Telecom Operators coverage by sub-theme.

Regulatory-risk over time rising

Funding & growth over time

funding rising · growth rising

RESEARCH SIGNALS · United States

How research on 5G / 6G Networks is moving in the United States

A read on the academic research around 5G / 6G Networks — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 7,631 United States-affiliated papers.

research sentiment over time
200820172026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and intensifying — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 27% → 52% across 2008–2026.
top research entities
  • The University of Texas at Austin253
  • Princeton University249
  • Georgia Institute of Technology223
  • Concordia University182
  • Northeastern University163
leading researchers
H. Vincent Poor · Robert W. Heath · A. Lee Swindlehurst · Athina P. Petropulu · Moeness G. Amin · Zhu Han · Ahmed Alkhateeb · Wei‐Ping Zhu
▲ Breakthroughs3,131 · 41%
▲ 35%→48% share
▲1.4× share momentum5 median citations47% since 2021mostly methods-led
Breakthroughs are rising (35%→48% of field), led by Beamforming.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Beamforming519→1075
  • Telecommunications14→150
  • Electronic engineering150→265
  • MIMO324→419
  • Wireless42→125
Newly emergingReinforcement learning 0→40 · Computer vision 0→17 · Holography 0→11
Landmark Channel Estimation and Hybrid Precoding for Millimeter Wave Cellular Systems · 2,600 cites
◆ Advancements3,836 · 50%
▼ 54%→45% share
▼0.8× share momentum5 median citations36% since 2021mostly methods-led
Advancements are cooling (54%→45% of field), led by Telecommunications.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Telecommunications37→139
  • Beamforming897→971
  • Electronic engineering191→249
  • Wireless63→114
  • Antenna (radio)96→132
Newly emergingReinforcement learning 0→21 · Drone 0→14 · Holography 0→12
Landmark Spatially Sparse Precoding in Millimeter Wave MIMO Systems · 3,631 cites
▼ Concerns392 · 5%
▼ 7%→3% share
▼0.4× share momentum4 median citations26% since 2021mostly empirical
Concerns are cooling (7%→3% of field), led by Telecommunications.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Telecommunications6→11
  • Physical layer1→5
  • Phased array7→10
  • Transmission (telecommunications)5→6
  • Channel (broadcasting)6→7
Landmark An Overview of Signal Processing Techniques for Millimeter Wave MIMO Systems · 2,896 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · United States

Where 5g 6g is researched across United States

Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.

Boston335 · +0.66
Hot · BeamformingAdvancing · HydrophoneOpportunity · Joint (building)Concern · Computer network
San Diego307 · +0.70
Hot · Phased arrayAdvancing · BiCMOSOpportunity · 3G MIMOConcern · Beamforming
New York263 · +0.66
Hot · MIMOAdvancing · Omnidirectional antennaOpportunity · Reinforcement learningConcern · Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
Austin253 · +0.62
Hot · Stochastic geometryAdvancing · Quantization (signal processing)Opportunity · Duality (order theory)Concern · Base station
Los Angeles248 · +0.68
Hot · BeamformingAdvancing · ApodizationOpportunity · Communications satelliteConcern · Extremely high frequency
Atlanta223 · +0.68
Hot · Blind deconvolutionAdvancing · Phase-shift keyingOpportunity · ScalabilityConcern · Wideband
SF Bay Area193 · +0.61
Hot · Speed of soundAdvancing · Ultrasonic sensorOpportunity · Differentiable functionConcern · Wireless
Ann Arbor125 · +0.63
Hot · Frequency bandAdvancing · Computer hardwareOpportunity · Adaptive beamformerConcern · Multipath propagation
Chicago72 · +0.64
Hot · Channel state informationAdvancing · Convex optimizationOpportunity · Speech recognitionConcern · Telecommunications
Seattle69 · +0.53
Hot · Synthetic aperture sonarAdvancing · SonarOpportunity · Continuous-wave radarConcern · Beamforming
PATENT SIGNAL · United States

Who's filing 5g 6g patents in the United States

United States 5g 6g patent filing is accelerating — 499,540 filings from 8,000 assignees (2016–2025), led by Qualcomm, Intel, Apple; annual filings 46197→46569.

499,540 filings8,000 assigneespeak 53346/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
  • Qualcomm180521
  • Intel33840
  • Apple32311
  • Microsoft18458
  • IBM15530
  • Google15131
  • Interdigital Patent Holdings14759
  • Interdigital TECH14106

Common questions

How many Telecom Operators companies are there in San Francisco, United States?
Radar tracks 32 indexable Telecom Operators companies headquartered in San Francisco, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco, United States?
The Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco, United States on this list have raised a combined $1.1B in disclosed equity funding across 10 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Telecom Operators company in San Francisco, United States?
Race Communications is the highest-funded Telecom Operators company in San Francisco, United States, with $375M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco, United States are funded?
10 of the 32 Telecom Operators companies in San Francisco, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Telecom Operators unicorns are there in San Francisco, United States?
1 Telecom Operators company in San Francisco, United States on this list is valued at $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in San Francisco, United States Telecom Operators companies?
The most active investors in San Francisco, United States Telecom Operators companies on this list include Borderless Capital, Y Combinator, 11-11 DG Partners, 500 Global, Slow Ventures.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories

Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.

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