Company snapshot
| Category | BT (British Telecom) | OnApp CDN |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
OnApp CDN is a federated content delivery network designed for hosting providers, utilizing spare capacity in OnApp Clouds to deliver content globally. It supports HTTP push, pull, and streaming/live streaming, catering to hosting providers and enterprises managing web content delivery. The platform integrates with OnApp Cloud, enabling users to leverage a network of edge servers for improved performance. It is primarily used by service providers and enterprises needing scalable CDN solutions. The service is operational as of August 16, 2025, with recent updates enhancing its reporting capabilities.
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.
OnApp CDN operates a global network of Points of Presence (PoPs) by leveraging spare capacity from OnApp Clouds, though specific PoP counts are not publicly detailed. It uses a federated model, combining edge servers from multiple cloud hosts to ensure broad geographic coverage. The platform supports content delivery across regions including North America, EMEA, APAC, and others, with synchronization between CDN and OnApp Cloud occurring every 20 minutes by default. Regional strengths include flexibility for hosting providers, but limitations may arise from reliance on third-party cloud capacity, potentially affecting consistency in less dense regions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BT (British Telecom) | OnApp 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
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.
OnApp CDN primarily targets enterprise clients, with pricing typically based on committed contracts tailored to hosting providers. No public per-GB pricing is disclosed, and there is no free tier or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) option widely advertised. Pricing details are available through direct inquiry with OnApp sales teams. For more information, visit https://www.virtuozzo.com/onapp-cdn/.[](https://www.virtuozzo.com/onapp-cloud-docs/7.0/release-notes-onapp-6-4/OnApp%2520CDN.pdf)
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.
OnApp CDN offers API-first integration for managing CDN resources, with documentation available at https://docs.onapp.com/cdn/. Real-time logs support monitoring, but there is no public evidence of Terraform support, SDKs, or specific CI/CD integrations. The platform includes tools for managing CDN resources within the OnApp Control Panel, with recent UI updates enhancing usability. Migration tools or import capabilities are not explicitly documented.
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.
- Hosting providers needing a federated CDN integrated with OnApp Cloud for scalable content delivery.
- Enterprises requiring video VOD and live streaming with global reach through a network of edge servers.
- Users prioritizing API-driven management and real-time logging for CDN operations.
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 pay-as-you-go pricing or free tiers, which OnApp CDN does not offer.
- Organizations needing advanced security features like WAF, DDoS protection, or bot mitigation, which are not documented.
- Users requiring edge compute, image optimization, or specific protocol support like HTTP/3, which are unsupported.
History & Notes
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