Company snapshot
| Category | China Telecom | SimpleCDN |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
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.
SimpleCDN, founded in 2007, provides content delivery network services focused on accelerating website and media delivery. Operated by Site Arrow Pte. Ltd., it serves businesses seeking to improve load times for images, videos, and web content. The service targets web design agencies, small to medium-sized businesses, and developers needing quick integration. SimpleCDN emphasizes affordability and ease of use, with a global network to reduce latency. Its customers include those managing multiple websites or requiring fast content delivery for global audiences.
Network & Architecture
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.
SimpleCDN operates a network with over 120 points of presence across 77 countries, offering more than 150 Tbps of capacity and an average global latency of 24ms. The network supports HTTP, HTTPS, RTMP, RTSP, and MMS protocols, with on-the-fly gzip compression and cache-control customization. It is designed for high-bandwidth applications like HD video delivery, using a 100% solid-state and 10Gbe architecture. Free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt are included for secure content delivery. The service has a strong global footprint but lacks detailed public information on specific regional strengths or peering arrangements.
Feature comparison
| Feature | China Telecom | SimpleCDN |
|---|---|---|
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
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.
SimpleCDN uses a pay-as-you-go model with plans starting at $5/month. No lock-in contracts are required, and pricing is designed to be competitive with single-source providers like Amazon CloudFront. A free trial is not explicitly mentioned, but quick setup is emphasized. Detailed pricing is available at https://simplecdn.com/pricing/.
Integrations & DevEx
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.
SimpleCDN provides a web-based interface and API for managing CDN zones, with support for team member accounts suitable for agencies. It integrates with WordPress via the {eac}SimpleCDN extension, which rewrites URLs to load content from the CDN. No Terraform or other IaC support is documented. Realtime logs are available, but no SDKs, CI/CD integrations, or migration tools are publicly detailed.
When it fits
- 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.
- Small to medium-sized businesses or agencies managing multiple websites needing affordable CDN services.
- Users requiring quick setup and integration with WordPress or API-driven workflows.
- Applications focused on image and video delivery with global audiences.
When it doesn’t
- 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.
- Enterprises needing advanced security features like WAF, DDoS protection, or bot mitigation.
- Users requiring detailed analytics, log streaming, or edge compute capabilities.
- Scenarios needing specific regional optimizations or extensive peering documentation.
History & Notes
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