Company snapshot
| Category | Arelion | Universal CDN |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Arelion, formerly Telia Carrier, is a global telecommunications provider based in Solna, Sweden, operating a tier 1 network with Autonomous System number AS1299. It offers fiber-based connectivity and IP services, including CDN solutions tailored for hosting and content delivery providers. The company serves wholesale customers, enterprises, and content providers like Facebook and CDNetworks. Its network spans over 77,000 km, connecting 350+ points of presence (PoPs) across 125 countries. Arelion focuses on high-capacity, low-latency connectivity for industries such as gaming, finance, and media.
Universal CDN, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, offers a global content delivery network focused on delivering web content, video streaming, and live media. It serves businesses ranging from small startups to large enterprises, particularly those needing video-on-demand and live streaming capabilities. The service emphasizes an API-first approach, enabling developers to integrate and manage CDN services programmatically. Universal CDN supports a variety of use cases, including e-commerce, media, and gaming, with a focus on performance and real-time analytics.
Network & Architecture
Arelion operates a global fiber network with over 350 PoPs in more than 125 countries, covering Europe, North America, Asia, and Latin America. Its North American network accounts for 57% of its customer bandwidth, with 40% year-over-year growth. The company maintains direct connections to over 70% of global Internet routes, leveraging its tier 1 status for robust peering and routing. Recent expansions include new routes in Texas and Mexico, enhancing diversity and capacity. The network is monitored 24/7 from centralized Network Operations Centers, ensuring consistent performance. Regional strengths include Europe and North America, with growing presence in Latin America and Asia.
Universal CDN operates a global network with points of presence (PoPs) across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Specific PoP counts are not publicly disclosed, but the provider claims broad coverage with optimized routing for low latency. It leverages partnerships with major ISPs for peering, enhancing delivery speeds. The service is particularly strong in Europe and North America but has less presence in Africa and the Middle East, which may limit performance in those regions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Arelion | Universal CDN |
|---|---|---|
waf | ✗ | ✗ |
bot_mitigation | ✗ | ✗ |
ddos | ✓ | ✓ |
rate_limit | ✗ | ✗ |
http3_quic | ✗ | ✗ |
tls13 | ✗ | ✓ |
tiered_cache | ✗ | ✗ |
origin_shield | ✗ | ✗ |
instant_purge | ✗ | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✗ | ✗ |
stale_if_error | ✗ | ✗ |
image_optimization | ✗ | ✓ |
video_vod | ✗ | ✓ |
video_live | ✗ | ✓ |
drm | ✗ | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ | ✓ |
websockets | ✗ | ✓ |
signed_urls | ✗ | ✓ |
edge_compute | ✗ | ✗ |
functions | ✗ | ✗ |
kv_storage | ✗ | ✗ |
api_first | ✓ | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ | ✓ |
log_push | ✗ | ✗ |
terraform | ✗ | ✗ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported, — = Not listed
Pricing
Arelion’s pricing model is primarily enterprise-oriented, with custom contracts for wholesale and large-scale customers. No public per-GB pricing is available, and the company does not offer a free tier or pay-as-you-go plans. Pricing details are typically negotiated based on capacity and service requirements. For more information, visit https://www.arelion.com.
Universal CDN offers a pay-as-you-go (payg) model with no minimum commitments, suitable for variable traffic needs. Pricing starts at approximately $0.05 per GB for standard delivery, with discounts for higher volumes. A free trial is available for testing, and enterprise plans are offered for custom needs. Detailed pricing is available at https://www.ucdn.com/pricing.
Integrations & DevEx
Arelion’s My Arelion portal supports Open APIs for accessing usage data, support tickets, and service management, enabling integration with customer systems. The portal includes BGP tools and allows self-service for ordering services like Cloud Connect and IP Transit. No specific support for Terraform or CI/CD pipelines is documented. Real-time logs are available through the portal, providing visibility into network performance and service status.
Universal CDN provides an API-first design for seamless integration with developer workflows. It supports real-time logs for immediate performance insights but lacks Terraform support or advanced IaC tools. SDKs are available for common programming languages, facilitating integration with CI/CD pipelines. The platform does not offer built-in migration tools but provides documentation for transitioning from other CDNs.
When it fits
- Enterprises needing high-capacity, low-latency connectivity for content delivery across global markets.
- Wholesale customers requiring direct access to a tier 1 network with extensive peering.
- Businesses in Europe or North America seeking robust DDoS mitigation and API-driven service management.
- Businesses needing video-on-demand or live streaming with HLS/DASH packaging and RTMP ingest for media-heavy applications.
- Developers seeking an API-first CDN with real-time analytics for programmatic control and monitoring.
- Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a pay-as-you-go model with global coverage for web and video content.
When it doesn’t
- Small businesses or startups looking for pay-as-you-go or free-tier CDN options.
- Customers needing advanced edge compute, image optimization, or video-specific CDN features.
- Organizations prioritizing transparent, publicly available pricing without custom contracts.
- Organizations requiring advanced security features like WAF, bot mitigation, or rate limiting, which are not offered.
- Companies needing extensive edge compute capabilities or key-value storage for serverless applications.
- Users focused on regions like Africa or the Middle East, where Universal CDN’s network presence is limited.
History & Notes
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