Company snapshot
| Category | BT (British Telecom) | System73 |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
System73, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, United States, with a registered entity in Malta, provides a MultiCDN platform focused on optimizing video streaming. Its Edge Intelligence solution uses AI to monitor and route traffic across multiple CDNs, improving Quality of Experience (QoE) and reducing costs. The platform serves content providers, particularly in live and VoD streaming, with a focus on scalability and cost efficiency. System73 has delivered high-profile events like the UEFA Champions League Final, achieving significant cost savings. Customers include OTT providers and broadcasters seeking reliable, high-quality streaming in regions with limited infrastructure.
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.
System73 operates as a MultiCDN, leveraging a global network of partner CDNs without specifying its own Points of Presence (POPs). Its Edge Intelligence platform uses AI to monitor network conditions and select optimal routes, bypassing congestion. It excels in regions like Latin America, particularly Peru, where traditional CDN infrastructure is sparse. The platform employs peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to create centrally orchestrated content delivery trees, reducing reliance on physical CDN infrastructure. This approach supports scalability for high-traffic events but may face limitations in areas with low P2P adoption or restrictive network policies.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BT (British Telecom) | System73 |
|---|---|---|
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.
System73 offers a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model, with reported costs as low as $2 per TB for scalable delivery, as seen in the UEFA Champions League Final case study. Pricing details are not fully public; interested parties must contact System73 directly for quotes. The platform emphasizes cost savings, claiming up to 65% reduction in delivery costs compared to traditional CDNs. No free tier or trial is explicitly mentioned. For detailed pricing, visit https://www.system73.com.
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.
System73 provides an SDK for integration, supporting WebRTC DataChannel with fallback to CDN-only delivery for unsupported browsers. The API-first approach enables programmatic control of content delivery. Edge Analytics offers real-time dashboards for monitoring network and viewer data. No public support for Terraform, CI/CD pipelines, or migration tools is documented. The platform’s focus is on seamless integration for OTT and broadcasting services, with quick onboarding demonstrated in customer case studies.
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.
When it fits
- Ideal for OTT providers and broadcasters needing scalable, high-QoE video streaming, especially for live events like sports.
- Suits customers in regions with limited CDN infrastructure, such as Latin America, due to P2P-enhanced delivery.
- Fits businesses seeking cost-efficient MultiCDN solutions with real-time analytics and API-driven control.
When it doesn’t
- Less suitable for applications requiring WAF, DDoS protection, or image optimization, as these are not documented features.
- May not fit small-scale projects or those needing a free tier, as pricing requires direct contact and no trial is mentioned.
- Not ideal for use cases needing edge compute or advanced caching features like tiered cache or instant purge, which lack public support.
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.
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History & Notes
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