Company snapshot
| Category | Azion Technologies | China Telecom |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Azion Technologies offers a global edge computing platform and CDN, focusing on performance, security, and scalability for digital applications. Founded in 2011, the company serves industries like e-commerce, finance, and media with solutions for web acceleration, security, and serverless computing. Customers include enterprises and developers building mission-critical applications such as AI, IoT, and real-time streaming. The platform emphasizes programmability and automation, integrating with modern DevOps workflows. Azion operates a global network with a strong presence in Latin America.
China Telecom Corporation Limited, a state-owned telecommunications provider, operates one of China’s largest content delivery networks, leveraging its extensive infrastructure to optimize content distribution. Founded in 2002, it serves major internet portals and enterprises, including Tencent QQ, Baidu, Sina, and Weibo. The CDN is integrated with China Telecom’s backbone networks, ChinaNet and CN2, to deliver low-latency services across China and globally. It caters to businesses requiring compliance with China’s strict internet regulations, such as ICP licensing, and supports a range of applications from web content to streaming media.
Network & Architecture
Azion operates over 100 points of presence (POPs) across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, with notable strength in Latin America, particularly Brazil. Its edge network leverages intelligent routing and peering with major ISPs to optimize latency and reliability. The platform uses a distributed architecture to support edge computing and content delivery, with capabilities like Edge Functions for serverless processing. Limitations include less extensive coverage in certain APAC and Middle Eastern regions compared to larger competitors like Cloudflare or Akamai.
China Telecom CDN operates points of presence (PoPs) across 11 countries, with 15 cities including Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Amsterdam. Its domestic strength lies in partnerships with local ISPs like China Unicom and Zenlayer, ensuring robust connectivity within mainland China. The network supports over 1–5 Tbps in traffic capacity, with 788 IP ranges in China alone. Limitations include restricted operations in the U.S. due to FCC orders citing national security concerns, impacting its ability to serve American customers directly. Its global reach is strong in APAC but less comprehensive in EMEA and LATAM compared to providers like Cloudflare or Akamai.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Azion Technologies | China Telecom |
|---|---|---|
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
Azion uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with pricing based on traffic, requests, and edge function executions. Enterprise plans are tailored for high-volume users, with custom pricing and SLAs. No free tier is publicly advertised, but trials are available for testing. Specific per-GB pricing is not disclosed without a quote, but costs are competitive for enterprise use cases. See https://www.azion.com/en/pricing/ for details.
Pricing details are not publicly disclosed and typically involve enterprise-level contracts tailored to customer needs. No pay-as-you-go (PAYG) or free-tier options are documented. Businesses should contact China Telecom directly for quotes, as pricing varies based on traffic volume and service requirements.
Integrations & DevEx
Azion supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code, enabling automated deployments. SDKs and APIs are available for custom integrations, with an API-first design for programmatic control. Real-time logs and analytics integrate with tools like Datadog and Splunk via log push. The platform includes a CLI and supports CI/CD pipelines for DevOps workflows. Migration tools are available to simplify onboarding from other CDNs, with documentation at https://www.azion.com/en/documentation/.
China Telecom CDN provides API-first access for configuration and management, with real-time logging for performance monitoring. Terraform or specific SDKs for CI/CD pipelines are not documented. Migration tools or support for transitioning from other CDNs are not publicly detailed, but partnerships with providers like Conversant suggest integration capabilities for international businesses.
When it fits
- Enterprises needing a programmable edge platform for custom applications, especially in e-commerce or media.
- Developers in Latin America seeking a CDN with strong regional coverage and low latency.
- Teams requiring serverless edge computing with Terraform and API-first integrations.
- Businesses needing a China-licensed CDN to comply with ICP regulations for mainland China operations.
- Enterprises serving high-traffic portals or streaming services in APAC, leveraging China Telecom’s ISP partnerships.
- Organizations requiring robust DDoS protection and image/video optimization for Asia-centric audiences.
When it doesn’t
- Small businesses or startups looking for a free tier or simpler pricing models.
- Users needing extensive POP coverage in APAC or Middle East, where competitors like Cloudflare have broader reach.
- Applications requiring advanced video features like DRM or HLS/DASH packaging, which are not currently supported.
- Companies primarily targeting U.S. markets, due to FCC restrictions and operational bans.
- Small businesses or startups seeking transparent PAYG pricing or free-tier options.
- Users needing extensive global PoP coverage outside APAC, where competitors like Cloudflare excel.
History & Notes
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