What Decibels does

Decibels, Inc. is a privately held, full-service telecommunications contractor headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, with regional offices in Port Orchard, WA and Medford, OR, plus a wholly-owned subsidiary (Decibels of Oregon, Inc.) handling Oregon operations. Founded in 1972 and under the ownership of Dennis Snyder since 1992, the company specializes in cable television, broadband, and telephone infrastructure installation for residential, commercial, and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) customers across Washington and Oregon. Its service portfolio spans Custom Cable Installation, High Speed Internet Installation, Telephony Installation and Repair, Drop Bury (underground cable burial), MDU Rebuild (pre/post wiring), and CAT 5/CAT 6 structured cabling. Technicians follow industry standards including ANSI/TIA/EIA and NEC, and use specialized equipment such as Vermeer walk-behind trenchers and Case Mixi-sneakers for underground drop burial, with rod-push boring capabilities up to six feet.

The company's revenue model is project- and contract-based, generating one-time service revenue from cable and broadband installations, drop burial, telephony wiring, and MDU pre/post-wire work. Customer segments include individual homeowners, commercial establishments, MDUs (apartments and multi-unit buildings), and cable system operators that contract Decibels as a field-services subcontractor. Distribution is direct-to-customer via uniformed, late-model-vehicle technicians performing on-site work, with no digital marketplace or platform model. Marketing and customer acquisition are driven by direct relationships with cable providers, builders, and developers in the Pacific Northwest, supported by a basic website and phone-based contact.

Technically, Decibels' most notable capability is operational rather than software-driven: a workforce management system built on Microsoft MapPoint 2006 and Exchange Server, deployed on Windows Mobile OS 5.0 PDA phones, enabling automated daily plotting and routing of installations with near-real-time field visibility. The company maintains group health insurance benefits, active safety training, and an in-house "Get Paid While You Train" technician program. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, software products, APIs, or external funding. Revenue, employee count trajectory, and customer concentration metrics are not publicly disclosed, and the company's digital presence is minimal.

Name

Decibels

Legal name

Decibels, Inc.

Website

https://decibelsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Decibels, Inc. is a private Pacific Northwest telecommunications contractor founded in 1972, providing cable installation, broadband, telephony, drop burial, and MDU wiring services to residential, commercial, and cable-operator customers in Washington and Oregon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Installation Services

NAICS

Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821), Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (238210)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Low-Voltage Wiring (Data/CAT6, Coax, Phone) (HSAOADAI)

Keywords

• Cable installation services
• Telecommunications contracting
• Underground drop burial
• MDU wiring services
• Structured cabling installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Cable Installation Services: One-time and project-based revenue from analog and digital cable installations for residential and commercial establishments, including custom work and special application jobs.
2. Drop Bury Services: Revenue from underground drop burial services, considered a specialty area. Includes coordination of underground mark-out process and permit submission.
3. Telephony Installation: Residential and MDU telephone installation services using cable-telephony technology, including Arris/Antec Cornerstone and ADC Homeworx products.
4. MDU Pre/Post Wire: Full MDU (multiple dwelling units) and SDU (single dwelling units) wiring services including pre-wire, multi-dwelling unit wiring, retrofitting, and coordination with builders and developers.
5. CAT 5/CAT 6 Installation: Commercial and residential CAT 5 and CAT 6 network cable installation services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Decibels, Inc. is a full-service telecommunications contractor providing cable television, broadband internet, telephony, drop burial, MDU pre/post wire, and CAT 5/CAT 6 structured cabling installation services. The company delivers field-based installation, wiring, retrofitting, and quality control/auditing services to residential, commercial, MDU, and cable system operator customers across Washington and Oregon states. Services are contracted directly with property owners, builders, developers, and cable providers, executed by uniformed technicians using specialized trenching, boring, and wiring equipment.

Product overview

Decibels, Inc. is a full-service telecommunications contractor offering a portfolio of installation services for residential and commercial establishments. The core offering is Custom Cable Installation covering analog and digital cable television, broadband, and telephone wiring. Key service modules include High Speed Internet Installation (cable modem services), Telephony Installation and Repair, Drop Bury (underground cable burial), MDU Rebuild (multi-dwelling unit wiring), and CAT 5/CAT 6 structured cabling. The company operates primarily in Washington and Oregon states, serving both individual customers and builders/developers, with services ranging from new construction pre-wiring to existing home retrofitting and commercial custom installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Cable Installation Custom cable television, broadband, and telephone wiring installation services for residential and commercial establishments, including analog and digital cable, aerial and underground construction. For homeowners, commercial businesses, and cable system operators.
• High Speed Internet Installation Cable modem and high-speed internet installation services including PC hardware installation, TCP/IP stack configuration, operating system troubleshooting, and RF installation. For residential and commercial customers requiring broadband setup.
• Telephony Installation and Repair Residential and MDU telephone installation and repair services, including Network Interface Unit (NIU) installation, A/C power activation from coaxial systems, and servicing of cable-telephony products such as Arris/Antec Cornerstone and ADC Homeworx.
• Drop Bury Underground drop burial services using Vermeer walk-behind trenchers and Case Mixi-sneakers, with hard surface boring using rod push method up to 6 feet. Includes underground mark-out coordination and permit submission.
• MDU Rebuild Multi-dwelling unit (MDU) and single dwelling unit (SDU) pre/post wire services including pre-wiring, multi-dwelling unit wiring, retrofitting, access agreements, and coordination with builders and developers.
• CAT 5 and CAT 6 Installation Installation of CAT 5 and CAT 6 cabling for commercial and residential network applications, performed by trained technicians.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carlson & AssociatesminorOthersInsurance broker partnership providing group health insurance to Decibels employees. Carlson & Associates, led by Larry Carlson, offers medical, prescription drugs, vision, and hospital coverage. Decibels pays up to 75% of employee medical premiums.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• MYR Group: MYR Group is a publicly traded specialty contractor providing electrical construction across transmission, distribution, and commercial/industrial markets, including communications infrastructure work. It overlaps Decibels' electrical contracting and wiring installation scope, particularly for commercial and utility clients.
• Dycom Industries: Dycom Industries is the largest publicly traded specialty telecom construction contractor in the U.S., providing engineering, aerial/underground construction, and installation services to cable MSOs, telephone companies, and wireless carriers. It is the closest scaled analog to Decibels' cable-installation and drop-bury offering, operating across the same customer set.
• Primoris Services Corporation: Primoris Services provides infrastructure construction across utilities, energy, and communications, including telecom outside-plant construction and cable installation. Its Communications segment competes directly with Decibels' cable and broadband install offerings while operating in additional end markets.
• IES Holdings: IES Holdings is a publicly traded installer of electrical and low-voltage systems for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, including communications and structured cabling. It directly parallels Decibels' combination of electrical contracting, structured cabling, and telecom infrastructure installation services.
• Henkels & McCoy: Henkels & McCoy is a privately held infrastructure contractor performing aerial/underground construction, fiber, cable, and telecom installation for utility and MSO clients. It is one of the largest private peers to Decibels, with directly comparable service lines in cable and communications construction.
• ADB Companies: ADB Companies is a privately held infrastructure services firm providing engineering, construction, and installation for wireless, wireline, and cable networks. It is a direct mid-market peer to Decibels, performing similar aerial/underground build and drop-bury work for carrier and MSO clients.

Broad incumbents

• MasTec: MasTec is a publicly traded infrastructure construction services firm whose Communications segment delivers wireline, wireless, and fiber/cable installation services for major MSOs and carriers nationwide. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Decibels' scope but operates at national scale across multiple infrastructure verticals.
• Quanta Services: Quanta Services is a leading publicly traded infrastructure solutions provider with significant telecom and broadband deployment work alongside its larger electric and gas utility business. It competes in the same aerial/underground construction space as Decibels but at vastly greater scale and across multiple end markets.

Others

• Black Diamond Group: Black Diamond Group provides modular space rental and specialty equipment solutions, including remote workforce accommodations and equipment rentals commonly used by telecom and infrastructure contractors. It is adjacent to Decibels as an equipment/operations supplier rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• TeleCom Construction Services: TeleCom Construction Services is a regional telecom and utility infrastructure contractor providing aerial, underground, fiber, and cable plant construction. Comparable to Decibels' drop-bury and cable installation scope but typically operating in different U.S. regions than the Pacific Northwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/decibelsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/decibels-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Decibels