Metaswitch

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Metaswitch Networks
Type Private[1]
Industry Telecommunications[2]
Founded United Kingdom (1981 (1981))[3][4]
Founder(s) Ian S. Ferguson[3][4]
Headquarters London, UK
Number of locations 8+ (2010)[5]
Area served Worldwide
Key people

John Lazar, Chairman & CEO
Graeme MacArthur, EVP

Clive Partridge, GM, Network Technologies Division[6][7]
Products Software and hardware solutions for service providers, network protocol stacks for equipment manufacturers[2]
Revenue US$156 million (2011)[8]
Employees 700 as of October 2011[9]
Divisions

Carrier Systems

Network Technologies[10]
Website www.metaswitch.com

Coordinates: 51°39′10″N 0°5′16″W / 51.65278°N 0.08778°W / 51.65278; -0.08778 (Metaswitch head office)

Metaswitch Networks (commonly Metaswitch) is a private UK-based company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets telecommunications hardware and software to communication service providers, equipment manufacturers and large enterprises.

The Company

Corporate history

Metaswitch (formerly Data Connection Ltd) was founded in 1981 by seven former IBM employees led by Ian Ferguson, who remains on the board of directors.[3][4][7] The company's earliest business areas included IBM Systems Network Architecture (SNA) and retail point of sale systems. In the 1990s, the company began developing network protocol software.[3]

In 2000, the company launched the Metaswitch brand, which provided softswitches and network management systems designed to enable telephone service providers to migrate to Voice over IP (VoIP) networks while still supporting legacy telephone technologies.[3] By 2008, the Metaswitch division was responsible for 78% of the company’s revenue.[11]

In April 2009, the company announced intentions to consolidate all of its products and business operations under the Metaswitch brand, with two business units: the Carrier Systems Division and Network Protocol Division.[12] In October 2009, the company rebranded itself as “Metaswitch Networks”, to reflect the growing focus on the products and services that it sells to telephone service providers.[13]

In August 2011, the company formally changed its name from Data Connection Ltd to Metaswitch Networks Ltd.[14]

Customers

Metaswitch claims more than 500 service provider customers and 250 OEM customers, including 150 independent operating companies (IOCs) and 125 competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs).[15][16][17] Notable customers include AT&T, British Telecom (BT), Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, Sprint Nextel, Telefonica, Verizon and Vodafone.[18]

Locations

Metaswitch has main offices in London, UK,[5] San Francisco, California,[19] Reston, Virginia, Richardson, Texas, and Singapore[20]

Acquisitions

In March 2010, the firm acquired AppTrigger Inc, a provider of Service Broker solutions in Richardson, TX.[21] In April 2011, it acquired Colibria AS, a provider of Rich Communication Suite (RCS) software in Oslo, Norway.[22]

Ownership and investors

In 1987, Metaswitch established the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) to hold shares of the company on behalf of the employees, which enabled company-wide profit sharing.[23][24]

In January 2008 Francisco Partners, a private equity firm, and Sequoia Capital, a venture capitalist firm, invested an undisclosed sum in Metaswitch.[25][26]

Products

Metaswitch designs, sells, and supports products for VoIP and voice applications, SIP infrastructure, and "4th generation" communications, and supplies management tools allowing service provider administrators to manage all of their Metaswitch products.[27] In addition, the firm's Network Technologies provide software to OEMs and system vendors.[28]

Voice and VoIP applications

Metaswitch provides a range of telephony application server and switching products for service providers who are building voice networks using IP, modernizing legacy voice networks or deploying new voice applications.[29]

  • The MetaSphere MTAS platform provides voice and video applications, including unified messaging and dynamic call control.[30][31]
  • The Universal Media Gateway supports TDM media over legacy access and trunk network connections.[32][33]
  • The Integrated Softswitch supports media and call control functions. It is intended for service providers who want to replace their telephony switches or provide VoIP services.[34][35]
  • The MetaSphere Media Resource Server provides support for recorded announcements and other media functions in VoIP networks.[36]

SIP infrastructure

Metaswitch’s SIP infrastructure components are designed to enable telephone service providers to migrate to IP networks.[37]

  • Its Service Broker provides mediation between services and network technologies, so that telephony applications can function across different types of network.[42][43][44]
  • Its SIP Session Router provides SIP management features that are designed to make core SIP routing simpler and more resilient.[45][46][47]

4th generation communications

The firms “4G communications” products are designed to allow end users to control their communications services across multiple devices.[48]

  • The CommPortal suite of cross-platform user interfaces allows residential and enterprise customers to access communications services on PCs, TVs and mobile handsets. CommPortal includes web portals, widgets, desktop and mobile applications, and a softphone.[49][50][51]
  • The Colibria product suite enables mobile service providers to deploy a standards-compliant Rich Communications Suite (RCS) or RCS-e infrastructure.[52][53]
  • Thrutu, launched in March 2011, is a cloud based smartphone application that allows users to share media, location and other information during a regular phone conversation.[54][55][56][57][58] Thrutu is available on Android, iOS and BlackBerry. Thrutu was named Android App of the Week on Reg Hardware and was included in a list of the week’s best Android apps on Gizmodo.[59][60]

Management systems

The firm's Network Management System provides integrated provisioning, operations and troubleshooting capabilities that work with all Metaswitch products.[61][62]

  • MetaView Web is a web-based interface for subscriber management.[63][64]
  • MetaView Explorer is a Java-based client application for subscriber and network management.[65]
  • MetaView Service Assurance Server is a diagnostics platform that helps service provider technicians to diagnose configuration, network and interoperability problems.[66][67]
  • MetaView Voice Quality Monitoring is a network-based system for monitoring the quality of calls in a VoIP network, to enable service providers to diagnose quality issues and remedy them.[68][69]
  • MetaView SIP Provisioning Server is a centralized platform for deploying, registering and configuring SIP phones in a service provider network.[70][71]

Network Technologies

The Network Technologies Division (renamed from Network Protocols Division in May 2010[72]) develops and licenses portable protocol stacks for system manufacturers of VoIP, IP Routing, MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS), Generalized MPLS (GMPLS), IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and Systems Network Architecture (SNA) equipment.[73][74]

Support services

The firm provides a range of support services.

  • Its professional services include project management, network migration, and customized branding.[75][76]
  • It provides training courses in locations across the USA to teach service providers how to provision, manage and maintain Metaswitch products and solutions. They offer additional courses on VoIP and TDM network technologies.[77]
  • Its MarketVisions provides a package of training and resources to help service providers to market and sell their services to business and residential customers.[78][79][80]
  • Its Communities website for Metaswitch customers provides access to support forums, resources, and partnership and developer programs.[81][82]

Events

Metaswitch Forum

Metaswitch holds an annual event for its customers and partners called the “Forum”.

  • In 2013, Metaswitch ran a global seminar program called "MetaLive".
  • Forum 2012 was held in Orlando, FL, in October.
  • Forum 2011 was held in Las Vegas, NV, in October.[83]
  • Forum 2010 was held in Orlando, FL, in September.[84] It was due to be held in Nashville, TN, in May, but was postponed and relocated because of flooding.[85]
  • Forum 2009 was held in Las Vegas, NV, in April.[86]

Awards and recognitions

  • Technology Innovation and Export Sales
  • Product/Company Awards
    • 2008 Unified Communications Product of the Year Award; TMC[92][93]
    • 2008 Top 15 VoIP Companies – Metaswitch; Fierce VoIP[92][94]
    • 2008 Excellence Award – Metaswitch; Internet Telephony[92][95]
    • 2008, 2006 Top 100 Vendor – Metaswitch; Broadband Properties Magazine[92][96][97]
    • 2008 Diamond Award – Metaswitch; Broadband Gear Report[92]
    • 2008 VON Innovator Award – Metaswitch; VON Magazine[92][98]
    • 2007, 2006, 2004 Frost & Sullivan Award – MetaSwitch; Frost & Sullivan[92][99][100][101]
    • 2003 Pulver Top 100 – Metaswitch; pulver.com[92][102]
    • 2000-2005 Product of the Year – Metaswitch; Internet Telephony[92][103][104][105][106][107][108]

References

  1. ↑ "Investors". Metaswitch Networks. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Fact Sheet Overview". Metaswitch Networks. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "History". Metaswitch Networks. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "MetaSwitch - Engineered for Success in VoB/VoIP". Optical Keyhole. 15 March 2004. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Contacts and Locations". Metaswitch Networks. 
  6. ↑ "Management". Metaswitch Networks. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Board Of Directors". Metaswitch Networks. 
  8. ↑ Harvey, Phil (4 October 2012). "The Future of Metaswitch". Light Reading. Orlando, FL. Retrieved 4 September 2013. 
  9. ↑ "About Metaswitch". Metaswitch Networks. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. 
  10. ↑ "At a Glance". Metaswitch Networks. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. 
  11. ↑ Karpinski, Rich (29 October 2008). "Metaswitch Touts 22% Growth". Connected Planet Online. Penton Media. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. 
  12. ↑ Mohney, Doug (8 April 2009). "MetaSwitch Forum 2009: MetaSwitch appoints Lazar CEO, adds DeNuccio to board, consolidates brand". FierceVoIP. FierceMarkets. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. 
  13. ↑ "Metaswitch Networks Annual Results Show Revenue Growth, Strong Profitability and Market Share Gains" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 7 October 2009. 
  14. ↑ "Metaswitch Networks". Companies In The UK. 
  15. ↑ "Metaswitch Rings in the New Decade" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 13 January 2010. "The company closed 2009 with 250 customers for the Network Protocols Division and topped the 500 mark for the Carrier Systems Division." 
  16. ↑ Sims, David (25 January 2010). "Metaswitch Celebrates 500/250 Thresholds for 2009". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. "Metaswitch Networks celebrated by hitting the 250-customer threshold for the Network Protocols Division, and the 500-customer tally for its Carrier Systems Division." 
  17. ↑ Kowalke, Mae (29 October 2008). "Data Connection and MetaSwitch Report Record Revenues, Other Successes for 2008". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. 
  18. ↑ "Customers". Metaswitch Networks. 
  19. ↑ "Metaswitch on the Move" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 26 July 2011. 
  20. ↑ "Metaswitch Opens Regional Headquarters in Singapore" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 5 August 2011. 
  21. ↑ "Metaswitch Enters Service Broker Market with Acquisition of AppTrigger" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 9 March 2010. 
  22. ↑ "Metaswitch Acquires Colibria" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 6 April 2011. 
  23. ↑ Jander, Mary (22 September 2003). "DCL: Hiring Toward Profits". Light Reading. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on 3 November 2003. 
  24. ↑ "Stability". Metaswitch Networks. Ownership. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. "The company is privately held by top-tier investment firms Francisco Partners and Sequoia Capital, as well as the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT), which distributes a share of profit to all employees…" 
  25. ↑ "Francisco Partners and Sequoia Capital make significant investment in Data Connection and MetaSwitch" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 14 January 2008. 
  26. ↑ Wilson, Carol (14 January 2008). "MetaSwitch gets cash infusion". Connected Planet Online. Penton Media. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. 
  27. ↑ "Products". Metaswitch Networks. 
  28. ↑ "Network Technologies Products". Metaswitch Networks. 
  29. ↑ "VoIP and Voice Applications". Metaswitch Networks. 
  30. ↑ "MetaSphere MTAS". Metaswitch Networks. 
  31. ↑ "Metaswitch Networks Unveils Enhanced MetaSphere Platform". TMCnet. 
  32. ↑ "Universal Media Gateway". Metaswitch Networks. 
  33. ↑ "Advanced Carrier Services Provider Metaswitch Offers Universal Media Gateway". TMCnet. 
  34. ↑ "Integrated Softswitch". Metaswitch Networks. 
  35. ↑ "MetaSwitch Debuts Compact Media/Signaling Gateway and Integrated Softswitch". Converge! Network Digest. 
  36. ↑ "Media Resource Server". Metaswitch Networks. 
  37. ↑ "SIP Infrastructure". Metaswitch Networks. 
  38. ↑ "Perimeta SBC". Metaswitch Networks. 
  39. ↑ "Metaswitch Unveils the Perimeta Session Border Controller". TMCnet. 
  40. ↑ "Can Metaswitch make a dent in crowded SBC market". Connected Planet. 
  41. ↑ "Metaswitch Perimeta is a Classic Business Case Study". IP Carrier. 
  42. ↑ "Service Broker". Metaswitch Networks. 
  43. ↑ "Metaswitch Service Broker Enables Advanced Carrier Services". TMCnet. 
  44. ↑ "CommunicAsia 2010: A Video Interview on the Metaswitch Service Broker". PRLOG. 
  45. ↑ "SIP Session Router". Metaswitch Networks. 
  46. ↑ "MWC: Metaswitch ‘session router’ prepares SIP signalling for mobile onslaught". Connected Planet. 
  47. ↑ "Metaswitch intros SIP session router". Doug On IP. 
  48. ↑ "4th Generation Communications". Metaswitch Networks. 
  49. ↑ "CommPortal". Metaswitch Networks. 
  50. ↑ "Metaswitch Debuts CommPortal Communicator". Light Reading. 
  51. ↑ "MetaSwitch Integrates Phone and PC Desktop with MetaSphere CommPortal Assistant" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 15 January 2008. 
  52. ↑ "Colibria". Metaswitch Networks. 
  53. ↑ "Metaswitch continues to ride RCS train with new server". Connected Planet. 
  54. ↑ "Thrutu". Metaswitch Networks. 
  55. ↑ "Thrutu website". Thrutu. 
  56. ↑ aims to let Android callers do more while on the phone
  57. ↑ "Metaswitch’s Thrutu – a Glimpse of the Future". TMCnet. 
  58. ↑ "With Thrutu, Metaswitch is Practicing What it Preaches". Telecompetitor. 
  59. ↑ "Thrutu, Android App of the Week". Reg Hardware. 
  60. ↑ "This Week’s Best Android Apps". Gizmodo. 
  61. ↑ "Management Systems". Metaswitch Networks. 
  62. ↑ "Metaswitch Touts MetaView’s Network Management System for Advanced Carrier Services". TMCnet. 
  63. ↑ "MetaView Web". Metaswitch Networks. 
  64. ↑ "Metaswitch Network Provides Unified Management for Advanced Carrier Services". TMCnet. 
  65. ↑ "MetaView Explorer". Metaswitch Networks. 
  66. ↑ "MetaView Service Assurance Server". Metaswitch Networks. 
  67. ↑ "Metaswitch enhances MetaView network management system with service assurance server". Optical Keyhole. 
  68. ↑ "Voice Quality Monitoring". Metaswitch Networks. 
  69. ↑ "MetaSwitch and Texas Instruments collaborate on enhanced voice quality monitoring, press release, Metaswitch Networks" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 18 June 2008. 
  70. ↑ "SIP Provisioning Server". Metaswitch Networks. 
  71. ↑ "MetaSwitch Enhances Scalability, Security and Supportability of Hosted PBX and Consumer VoIP Deployments" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 18 March 2008. 
  72. ↑ "Network Technologies Newsletter - May 2010". Metaswitch Networks. May 2010. "Today we are announcing a re-naming of the division to the Network Technologies Division." 
  73. ↑ "Network Protocols Software". Metaswitch Networks. 
  74. ↑ "SNAP-IX". Metaswitch Networks. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. 
  75. ↑ "Professional Services". Metaswitch Networks. 
  76. ↑ "MetaSwitch adds NOC Management to Its Professional Services Toolkit". TechZone360. 
  77. ↑ "Training". Metaswitch Networks. 
  78. ↑ "MarketVisions". Metaswitch Networks. 
  79. ↑ "MetaSwitch Launches MarketVisions Program to Support Customer Roll Outs of New Services" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 17 April 2007. 
  80. ↑ "MetaSwitch Announces Second Phase of Successful MarketVisions Program for Carriers Serving Residential and SMB Markets" (Press release). Metaswitch Networks. 30 October 2007. 
  81. ↑ "Communities". Metaswitch Networks. 
  82. ↑ "Metaswitch rolls out new features, open-source options, partners". Connected Planet. 
  83. ↑ "Metaswitch Forum – Wrapup and Takeaways". Jon Arnold’s Analyst 2.0 Blog. 
  84. ↑ "Metaswitch Forum 2010 Final Thoughts". TMCnet. 
  85. ↑ "It’s official – Metaswitch Forum has been postponed". Doug On IP. 
  86. ↑ "MetaSwitch Deals Full House at MetaSwitch Forum 2009 in Las Vegas". TMCnet. 
  87. ↑ "Data Connection/MetaSwitch Wins Third Queen's Award with 95% Export Sales". redOrbit. Red Orbit. 21 April 2006. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. 
  88. ↑ Shanbhag, Raju (22 April 2010). "Queen's Award for Technology Innovation Given to Metaswitch". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. 
  89. ↑ "Published Lists". Best Companies. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 May 2010. 
  90. ↑ "2005 50 Best Work Places in the UK". Great Place to Work Institute United Kingdom. The Financial Times. 28 April 2005. Archived from the original on 4 November 2005. 
  91. ↑ "2005 100 Best Work Places in the EU". Great Place to Work Institute United Kingdom. The Financial Times. 28 April 2005. Archived from the original on 4 November 2005. 
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 92.3 92.4 92.5 92.6 92.7 92.8 "Awards". Metaswitch Networks. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. 
  93. ↑ Viscusi, Stephania (12 March 2009). "TMC's Unified Communications Magazine Announces 2008 Product of the Year Award Winners". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. Archived from the original on 9 August 2010. 
  94. ↑ "MetaSwitch, Top VoIP Company 2008". FierceVoIP. FierceMarkets. 4 November 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. 
  95. ↑ "2008 Internet Telephony Excellence Award Winners Announced". TMCnet.com. Norwalk, CT: Technology Marketing Corporation. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. 
  96. ↑ "BPP Top 100 in the Fibre Market 2006" (PDF). Broadband Properties. July 2006. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. 
  97. ↑ "2008 Top 100" (PDF). Broadband Properties. July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. 
  98. ↑ "Winners of the Inaugural VON Magazine Innovator Awards". VoIP Monitor. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  99. ↑ "MetaSwitch Receives 2007 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Line Strategy" (Press release). Metaswitch. 20 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  100. ↑ "MetaSwitch Receives Frost & Sullivan 2006 Product Differentiation Innovation Award" (Press release). Metaswitch. 6 September 2006. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  101. ↑ "Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Data Connection for Customer Value Enhancement in the Conferencing and Collaboration Market" (Press release). Frost & Sullivan. 15 July 2004. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  102. ↑ "The 2003 pulver100". pulver.com. 14 September 2003. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  103. ↑ "2005 "Product of the Year" Award Winners". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. 20 December 2005. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  104. ↑ "Technology Marketing Corporation’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Magazine Announces 2004 "Product of the Year" Awards". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. 22 December 2004. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  105. ↑ Galitzine, Greg (January 2004). "Internet Telephony Product Of The Year Award". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  106. ↑ "Internet Telephony Product Of The Year Award". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. January 2003. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  107. ↑ "Internet Telephony Special Focus". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. January 2002. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 
  108. ↑ "2000 Product Of The Year". TMCnet.com. Technology Marketing Corporation. January 2001. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. 

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