  We show that a recently discovered non-perturbative field-theoretical
mechanism giving mass to elementary fermions, is also capable of generating a
mass for the electro-weak bosons and can thus be used as a viable alternative
to the Higgs scenario. A detailed analysis of this remarkable feature shows
that the non-perturbatively generated fermion and $W$ masses have the
parametric form $m_{f}\sim C_f(\alpha)\Lambda_{RGI}$ and $M_W\sim g_w
c_w(\alpha)\Lambda_{RGI}$, respectively, where the coefficients $C_f(\alpha)$
and $c_w(\alpha)$ are functions of the gauge couplings, $g_w$ is the weak
coupling and $\Lambda_{\rm RGI}$ is the RGI scale of the theory. In view of
these expressions, we see that to match the experimental values of the top
quark and $W$ masses, we are led to conjecture the existence of a yet
unobserved sector of massive fermions (that we denote Tera-fermions) subjected,
besides ordinary Standard Model interactions, to some kind of super-strong
gauge interactions (Tera-interactions), so that the full theory (SM plus
Tera-particles) will have an RGI scale $\Lambda_{\rm RGI}\equiv \Lambda_T$ in
the TeV region. This approach offers a solution of the mass naturalness problem
(there is no fundamental Higgs), an understanding of the fermion mass hierarchy
and a physical interpretation of the electro-weak scale as a fraction of
$\Lambda_T$.
