TWO teenage friends have set up a web-hosting business that has already expanded to 200 customers simply through word of mouth. Smart Wave Tech has proved an instant hit for the speed of its connection and dedicated customer service.

And now Andrew Degnen and Daniel Jeyes are going to step things up a notch with active marketing and advertising.

The pair, both 18, class themselves as young entrepreneurs.

‘We started the venture as a bit of a hobby and hoped it would secure some pocket money for the summer, but things have really taken off.’

Smart Wave Tech accesses a server based in Germany to provide web space for customers’ sites, with a very high-speed connection. It also claims to be the only local provider of internet radio streaming services.

Most of their customers are based in the UK, but they are keen to tap into the local market.

‘There are a number of internet radio stations in the island that rely on US-based hosts, but the beauty of using us is that we are locally based and can offer a far more personal service.’

Endorsements for their web hosting are full of praise.

Chris Welch, who uses it to host his blog site TheBigChris.com, said he would recommend it to everyone.

‘I was speechless when I uploaded my files and started using my site. None of my other hosts can even compare to the speed Smart Wave Tech provides. From the day I got the package there has been no down time whatsoever and my website is always online so search engines can always get there.’

The pair are delighted with how things are going so far.

‘I am buzzing. It is absolutely great how far we have come. We are getting new customers every day,’ said Mr Degnen.

Currently they both work between 30 minutes and four hours a day on the business.

‘We are very focused on customer service and strive to have a very close relationship with our clients,’ said Mr Jeyes.

‘We show an interest in their operations and radio stations so we can relate to what they are doing and when our workload is quiet, we make a point of calling them all directly to see how things are going.’

His said this attention to customer care helped with the number of referrals.

‘The internet radio fraternity is quite close-knit, with everyone comparing notes. So it is important to make a good impression.’

The German company from which Smart Wave Tech rents its server space hosts all the hardware.

‘We have complete remote access to it and can even turn our server on and off,’ said Mr Jeyes.

As such, they can do their work anywhere. They regularly use the Wi-fi internet access in Bar One as their office, but a lot of the time they work separately from their respective homes.

Mr Degnen has just finished his A-levels at Elizabeth College and Mr Jeyes has completed a two-year IT course at the College of Further Education. They plan to attend different universities in September and intend to juggle the business with their studies, saying it will make them some beer money.

Mr Degnen said: ‘We are confident we could cope with twice as much business by ourselves and beyond that we might consider hiring some extra pairs of hands.’

Both said they had been interested in computers and the internet for several years.

Mr Jeyes said: ‘I was getting increasing frustrated with how slow and unreliable the host was for my own webpage and felt I could do a better job.

‘We are both very much on the same wavelength with the business and are forever second-guessing each other.’

* To find out more, check out the website at www.smartwavetech.com.