PacketExchange
PacketExchange is a British multinational network services provider based in London. Founded in 2002 by Jason Velody and Kieron O'Brien, both supported by Nigel Titley, Giles Heron, and Katie Snowball as the founding team, its network connected 45 points of presence across Europe, Asia, and the United States over a private backbone consisting primarily of multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet links over dedicated wavelengths on a fiber-optic mesh.
Full name | PacketExchange |
---|---|
Founded | 2002 |
Location | United Kingdom, London |
Website | Official website |
PacketExchange's services include the Ethernet Private Line (EPL or EVPL), wide-area peering, community of interest networking, content delivery network, single and multi-homed Internet transit, and dedicated Internet access. The company also offers expertise in peering, or BGP, and infrastructure to support cloud computing.
Company history
The company was founded to act as a wide-area Internet Exchange Point and application delivery service provider. The company's original business model was to use Ethernet and MPLS technology to build a distributed Internet Exchange Point as well as to provide point-to-point Ethernet connectivity. Using the model, over 140 networks peered traffic over the PacketExchange network. The commoditization of the IP market forced the company to evolve.
In January 2005, PacketExchange acquired and integrated XchangePoint.[1] In October 2007, PacketExchange was hired by the rock band Radiohead for the internet release of their album In Rainbows. In February 2008, Rick Mace became the new CEO, and PacketExchange secured an additional $12 million investment. The company added two network points of presence during 2008: one in the Telx colocation facility in New York, and another in Singapore.
In January 2010, Mzima Networks announced that its network assets were acquired by PacketExchange. Grant Kirkwood became PacketExchange's CTO. The two companies merged customer bases and operations, resulting in a combined company with an extensive global network footprint that leverages its 10 Gigabit backbone to provide global Ethernet private line services, MPLS and VPLS networking, IP transit, and peering services.
Mzima Networks
The Mzima Network was a data network and Internet Protocol (IP) computer network extending across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The word Mzima means “alive” in the Kiswahili language.[2]
The network was started in California in 2001 by Mzima Corporation, N.A, which acquired several companies with Internet networks. In 2005, the Mzima Network became the first all-10 Gigabit Ethernet backbone through a partnership with Force10 Networks. In 2006, the Mzima IP backbone network expanded into Europe, providing connectivity for content providers, enterprise companies, and international telecommunication carriers. The fault-tolerant designed backbone network connected Tier 1 network carriers and network providers that engage in private peering.
It incorporated the Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE) standard to adapt Ethernet technology to carrier networks. PBB-TE technology was incorporated into communications networking equipment by companies such as Ciena Corporation. This Ethernet technology provided fast re-route capabilities, allowing optimization of unused network capacity. Since it provided an alternative to Tier 1 service providers and multi-homed networks, the Mzima Network claimed route-optimized transit and private peering.
In January 2010, Mzima Networks announced its network assets were acquired by PacketExchange. The two companies merged customer bases and operations.
Acquisition
In May 2011, Global Telecom & Technology (GTT) acquired PacketExchange for $20 million in cash.[3]
See also
References
- "PacketExchange Acquires XchangePoint and Gains New Investment". Business Wire. 17 January 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- "MZIMA NETWORKS :: Network Alive :: Performance IP bandwidth, transport and network services". Web site. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- Robin Wauters (May 23, 2011). "GTT Acquires PacketExchange For $20 Million In Cash, Debt". TechCrunch. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- PacketExchange, October 21, 2008; "PacketExchange Launches Global Network Services in Singapore".
- Reuters, May 29, 2008; "PacketExchange Launches Services at Telx in New York".
- Information Week, February 11, 2008; "PacketExchange Grabs $12 Million Investment... And CEO"
- Digital50, October 11, 2007; "PacketExchange Brings New Radiohead Album to Fans Around the Globe in Record Time".
- Telecommunications Magazine. May 2005. PacketExchange: without peers? Archived 2006-09-09 at the Wayback Machine
- "Tech Track 100 details". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28.
- Hamilton, David. "PacketExchange to Acquire Mzima's Network Assets". TheWhir. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- "Ciena's Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery". Ciena.
- "Implementation of PBB-TE". Mzima. Archived from the original on 2011-01-28.