Company snapshot

CategoryChina TelecomTurboBytes
Statusactivedefunct
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.
TurboBytes was a MultiCDN platform founded in 2012 that optimized content delivery by dynamically routing traffic across multiple CDNs based on real-time performance metrics. It served publishers, e-commerce, and content providers seeking improved speed and reliability globally. The platform measured CDN performance from within users’ browsers and automatically selected the best-performing CDN for each region. TurboBytes is no longer operational, having been marked as a deadpooled company. No official announcement confirms the exact date of closure, but the company is considered defunct as of 2025.

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.

Feature comparison

FeatureChina TelecomTurboBytes
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.

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.

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.

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.

History & Notes

TurboBytes was noted for its innovative approach to MultiCDN, leveraging real-time performance data to optimize content delivery. Its closure is not well-documented, with no public statements from the company or successors. Industry sources like Crunchbase and Tracxn confirm its defunct status, but conflicting reports or partial revivals are absent. The lack of an official website or archived documentation limits further insights into its operational history.