Company snapshot
| Category | BT (British Telecom) | Quantil |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Quantil is a global content delivery network (CDN) provider founded in 2012, headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It offers services for content acceleration, video-on-demand (VOD), live streaming, and edge computing, targeting industries like gaming, social media, and video streaming. Its CDN Pro platform is designed for flexibility in delivering digital assets with a focus on performance and security. Quantil serves enterprises needing robust delivery in Asia, particularly China, due to its compliance with local regulations. Customers include gaming platforms, video websites, and app stores seeking efficient large-file downloads and streaming.
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.
Quantil operates a network with over 800 Points of Presence (PoPs) across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and Asia, with a data throughput exceeding 35 terabits per second. It has a strong presence in China, leveraging partnerships with local ISPs to navigate regulatory requirements like ICP licensing. The network uses a proprietary intelligent scheduling platform and segmented caching technology for optimized content delivery. Its regional strength is in Asia-Pacific, particularly China, though it faces challenges with higher latency in regions like Africa and South America compared to some competitors.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BT (British Telecom) | Quantil |
|---|---|---|
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.
Quantil uses a pay-as-you-go (payg) model with pricing varying by region and commitment level, ranging from $6.50 to $17 per TB based on available data. No free tier or trial is publicly noted. Detailed pricing requires contacting Quantil directly, as no public pricing page is available. Costs may include surcharges for features like SSL certificates or real-time log exports.
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.
Quantil provides an API-first approach with comprehensive documentation for CDN Pro configuration and management. Real-time logs support monitoring and debugging. No public support for Terraform or specific CI/CD integrations is documented. SDKs or migration tools are not prominently featured, but the API supports custom integrations for developers.
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 strong CDN performance in China due to Quantil’s ICP licensing and local ISP partnerships.
- Gaming or video streaming platforms requiring large-file download acceleration and HLS/DASH support.
- Businesses seeking edge computing capabilities for scalable, low-latency applications in Asia-Pacific.
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.
- Organizations prioritizing low latency in Africa or South America, where Quantil’s performance lags behind competitors like BlazingCDN.
- Budget-conscious buyers looking for flat-rate pricing or free tiers, as Quantil’s costs can be unpredictable.
- Users needing advanced security features like WAF or DDoS protection, which are not clearly documented.
History & Notes
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