Company snapshot
| Category | BT (British Telecom) | Imperva |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
BT (British Telecom), founded in 1846, is a major UK telecommunications provider offering CDN services through its edge infrastructure. It leverages the Streaming Video Alliance’s Open Caching technology, developed with Cisco and Qwilt, to deliver content for 8K video and AR/VR applications. The service targets enterprise customers, particularly those needing high-capacity video delivery. BT operates under its EE brand for mobile services and Openreach for broadband infrastructure. Its CDN is designed to handle modern streaming demands, serving media companies and large-scale businesses.
Imperva provides a cloud-based CDN integrated with its Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) platform, focusing on security and performance. The service includes content caching, load balancing, and global Points of Presence (PoPs) to deliver low-latency web experiences. It offers robust DDoS protection, a Web Application Firewall (WAF), and bot mitigation, making it suitable for enterprises prioritizing security. Imperva serves industries like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, with clients such as Mediolanum and Vodafone. The company, founded in 2002 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, was acquired by Thales in 2019. Its CDN is part of a broader cybersecurity suite, emphasizing secure content delivery.
Network & Architecture
BT’s CDN uses a global network with points of presence (PoPs) integrated into its extensive telecom infrastructure, though specific PoP counts are not publicly disclosed. It employs Open Caching to turn existing telecom infrastructure into a federated CDN, optimized for low-latency delivery of high-bandwidth content like 8K video. The network benefits from BT’s EE mobile coverage, reaching over 99% of the UK population, and Openreach’s fibre backbone. It has strong regional presence in EMEA, particularly the UK, with peering optimized for European traffic. Coverage in APAC, LATAM, or other regions is less emphasized.
Imperva operates a global network with PoPs in North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, including data centers in cities like Tokyo, New Delhi, and Miami. The exact number of PoPs is not publicly disclosed, but the network supports traffic rerouting during maintenance to ensure availability. It uses machine learning for dynamic caching and integrates with major peering partners for optimized routing. Regional strengths include North America and EMEA, with ongoing expansions in APAC and LATAM. Maintenance schedules, such as the August 2025 migrations in Hong Kong and Paris, ensure minimal disruption for Cloud WAF customers. Limitations include less transparency on PoP counts compared to competitors like Cloudflare.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BT (British Telecom) | Imperva |
|---|---|---|
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
BT’s CDN pricing is enterprise-focused, typically requiring custom contracts rather than pay-as-you-go or public per-GB rates. No free tier or public pricing details are available. Interested parties must contact BT’s sales team for quotes, as pricing is tailored to large-scale deployments.
Imperva uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with enterprise-focused pricing, typically requiring custom quotes. No free tier or public per-GB pricing is available, as plans are tailored for high-security use cases. Volume-based discounts are offered for committed contracts. Pricing details are available at https://www.imperva.com/pricing/. The model suits large organizations but may be cost-prohibitive for smaller businesses.
Integrations & DevEx
BT provides an API-first interface for managing CDN configurations and accessing real-time logs. Documentation is available at https://www.bt.com/about/developers. There is no public mention of Terraform support, SDKs, or specific CI/CD integrations. The focus is on enterprise integrations for media delivery, with limited emphasis on developer-centric tools or migration utilities.
Imperva provides APIs for configuration and management, supporting an API-first approach. Realtime logs and analytics are accessible via the Imperva Management Portal, with log push for integration into external systems. No public documentation confirms Terraform or specific SDK support, limiting Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) options. Migration tools are not emphasized, but the platform supports standard CDN configurations. Developers may find the API robust but less flexible for CI/CD pipelines compared to Fastly or Akamai.
When it fits
- Enterprises needing high-capacity video delivery, especially for 8K or AR/VR content, leveraging BT’s telecom infrastructure.
- UK-based businesses requiring strong regional performance with EE and Openreach integration.
- Organizations seeking custom enterprise CDN solutions with direct support from a legacy telecom provider.
- Enterprises needing a CDN with strong security features like WAF and DDoS protection.
- Businesses in regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare) requiring robust compliance and bot mitigation.
- Organizations with global audiences benefiting from Imperva’s PoP distribution and low-latency delivery.
When it doesn’t
- Small to medium businesses looking for pay-as-you-go or transparent pricing models.
- Developers needing extensive edge compute, serverless functions, or advanced security features like WAF or DDoS protection.
- Companies prioritizing global coverage outside EMEA, as BT’s network focus is heavily UK and Europe-centric.
- Small businesses or startups seeking cost-effective, free-tier, or transparent pricing models.
- Developers needing extensive IaC support, such as Terraform or advanced CI/CD integrations.
- Companies focused on edge compute or serverless functions, which Imperva does not currently offer.
History & Notes
—
—