Interoute
Encyclopedia
Interoute Communications Ltd, is a privately held telecommunications
company, which owns and operates a next generation telecommunications network spanning Europe. The network links to 21 Metropolitan Area Networks
(MANs) in 29 countries across 55,000 km of lit fibre and includes 8 Data Centres
and 32 Colocation Centres.
Interoute’s network extends from Europe to North America, the Middle East and Africa. With nine subsea landing stations ringing the edge of Europe, Interoute also acts as the landing point for a number of submarine cable systems, as well as providing the European link to the SEACOM cable connecting East and South Africa to Europe. The Mediterranean operators Tunisie Telecom, Malta’s GO and Greece’s OTE also link directly to the Interoute network in Italy.
Interoute are one of the few Telco companies that offer ICT
services: creating and managing all Enterprise ICT
infrastructure as a service, delivered from a secure networking platform.
Interoute has offices in Austria
, Belgium
, Bulgaria
, Czech Republic
, Denmark
, France
, Germany
, Hungary
, Italy
, Netherlands
, Poland
, Romania
, Slovakia
, Spain
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America, plus a Network Operations Centre
and a Customer Service Centre in Prague
.
Interoute sells network infrastructure, Data
, Voice
and Managed Services
to wholesale, enterprise and government customers around the world.
Interoute’s network connects every major European incumbent as well as mobile phone operators including Vodafone, 3 and Orange, and the leading American, Asian and Middle-Eastern carriers.
The core of Interoute’s assets is a purpose-built network spanning the European Union. That physical infrastructure was supplemented through a series of acquisitions. Interoute acquired the Ebone portion of the KPNQwest NV network from receivers McStay Luby in July 2002. The deal transferred eight high-capacity Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
into Interoute’s ownership, at a cost rumoured to be a fraction of the €645 million KPNQwest paid for it. Between 2003 and 2007 Interoute acquired a number of businesses including: Virtue Broadcasting’s Media Services Division, to expand its value-added services portfolio; Central European Communications Holdings BV (CECOM) and its operating subsidiaries in Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, Hungary
, Austria
, Germany
, Poland
and Romania
, which extended its footprint in the CEE; the European operations of hosting provider VIA NET.WORKS; and PSINet’s European operations in Germany
, France
, Belgium
, Netherlands
and Switzerland
; plus Managed Services
businesses in Sweden
and Bulgaria
.
, Interoute is owned by the Sandoz Family Foundation, one of the world's largest private family foundations, and by Dubai Holding
, a major investment company of the United Arab Emirates.
Since the network’s completion in 2003, revenue has increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57 per cent, with revenues in H1 2009 reported to be 15 times greater than six years earlier. The company became operationally cash-flow positive and a self-funding enterprise at the end of H1 2009.
services.
Interoute targets enterprises with international voice and data requirements. Its core customer base derives from broadcast
, financial services
(including algorithmic trading
), manufacturing, media
, pharmaceutical, retail and shipping.
Interoute’s services broadly fall into the categories of network infrastructure, Voice
, Data
, and Managed Services
.
All of Interoute’s Voice services, aimed at both enterprise and wholesale markets, are based on Voice over IP (VoIP). Interoute was the first European operator to be certified by Microsoft to provide SIP-trunking for enterprise customers who use Microsoft Outlook Communication Server (OCS).
Interoute’s data services include Ethernet
, Internet Protocol Virtual Private Networks (IPVPN)
, Internet Access
and Bandwidth services. Another service; Fast Trade, was specifically designed for Finance customers involved in algorithmic trading
who require extremely low latency and low packet loss on links between locations.
Interoute's managed services include application hosting
, IT services and network management
.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
company, which owns and operates a next generation telecommunications network spanning Europe. The network links to 21 Metropolitan Area Networks
Metropolitan area network
A metropolitan area network is a computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks and the...
(MANs) in 29 countries across 55,000 km of lit fibre and includes 8 Data Centres
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
and 32 Colocation Centres.
Interoute’s network extends from Europe to North America, the Middle East and Africa. With nine subsea landing stations ringing the edge of Europe, Interoute also acts as the landing point for a number of submarine cable systems, as well as providing the European link to the SEACOM cable connecting East and South Africa to Europe. The Mediterranean operators Tunisie Telecom, Malta’s GO and Greece’s OTE also link directly to the Interoute network in Italy.
Interoute are one of the few Telco companies that offer ICT
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
services: creating and managing all Enterprise ICT
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
infrastructure as a service, delivered from a secure networking platform.
Operations
The geographic spread of Interoute’s network has enabled the creation of the largest privately owned Europe-wide IP cloud, providing enterprises with a platform to host content and applications and to create new services.Interoute has offices in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States of America, plus a Network Operations Centre
Network Operations Center
A network operations center is one or more locations from which control is exercised over a computer, television broadcast, or telecommunications network....
and a Customer Service Centre in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Interoute sells network infrastructure, Data
Data (computing)
In computer science, data is information in a form suitable for use with a computer. Data is often distinguished from programs. A program is a sequence of instructions that detail a task for the computer to perform...
, Voice
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
and Managed Services
Managed services
Managed services is the practice of transferring day-to-day related management responsibility as a strategic method for improved effective and efficient operations inclusive of Production Support and lifecycle build/maintenance activities...
to wholesale, enterprise and government customers around the world.
Interoute’s network connects every major European incumbent as well as mobile phone operators including Vodafone, 3 and Orange, and the leading American, Asian and Middle-Eastern carriers.
History
Interoute was formed in mid-2002, amidst the collapse of the telecommunications sector. Four weeks after its holding company i-21 Holdings Ltd went into administration, Interoute Telecommunications was forced into administration by its main supplier, Alcatel. It undertook extensive restructuring and sold its traditional telephony operations in order to concentrate exclusively on network and Internet services. A final settlement with Alcatel was reached, effective February 2003.The core of Interoute’s assets is a purpose-built network spanning the European Union. That physical infrastructure was supplemented through a series of acquisitions. Interoute acquired the Ebone portion of the KPNQwest NV network from receivers McStay Luby in July 2002. The deal transferred eight high-capacity Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
Metropolitan area network
A metropolitan area network is a computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks and the...
into Interoute’s ownership, at a cost rumoured to be a fraction of the €645 million KPNQwest paid for it. Between 2003 and 2007 Interoute acquired a number of businesses including: Virtue Broadcasting’s Media Services Division, to expand its value-added services portfolio; Central European Communications Holdings BV (CECOM) and its operating subsidiaries in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, which extended its footprint in the CEE; the European operations of hosting provider VIA NET.WORKS; and PSINet’s European operations in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; plus Managed Services
Managed services
Managed services is the practice of transferring day-to-day related management responsibility as a strategic method for improved effective and efficient operations inclusive of Production Support and lifecycle build/maintenance activities...
businesses in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Financial
A privately-held companyPrivately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
, Interoute is owned by the Sandoz Family Foundation, one of the world's largest private family foundations, and by Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding is a holding company that belongs to the Government of Dubai . It manages and controls 20 companies, which operate in real estate, hospitality, finance, healthcare, energy, research, education, entertainment, media, internet, tourism and biotechnology...
, a major investment company of the United Arab Emirates.
Since the network’s completion in 2003, revenue has increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57 per cent, with revenues in H1 2009 reported to be 15 times greater than six years earlier. The company became operationally cash-flow positive and a self-funding enterprise at the end of H1 2009.
Products
Offering unified ICTInformation and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
services.
Interoute targets enterprises with international voice and data requirements. Its core customer base derives from broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
, financial services
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
(including algorithmic trading
Algorithmic trading
In electronic financial markets, algorithmic trading or automated trading, also known as algo trading, black-box trading or robo trading, is the use of electronic platforms for entering trading orders with an algorithm deciding on aspects of the order such as the timing, price, or quantity of the...
), manufacturing, media
Media (communication)
In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
, pharmaceutical, retail and shipping.
Interoute’s services broadly fall into the categories of network infrastructure, Voice
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
, Data
Data (computing)
In computer science, data is information in a form suitable for use with a computer. Data is often distinguished from programs. A program is a sequence of instructions that detail a task for the computer to perform...
, and Managed Services
Managed services
Managed services is the practice of transferring day-to-day related management responsibility as a strategic method for improved effective and efficient operations inclusive of Production Support and lifecycle build/maintenance activities...
.
All of Interoute’s Voice services, aimed at both enterprise and wholesale markets, are based on Voice over IP (VoIP). Interoute was the first European operator to be certified by Microsoft to provide SIP-trunking for enterprise customers who use Microsoft Outlook Communication Server (OCS).
Interoute’s data services include Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, Internet Protocol Virtual Private Networks (IPVPN)
Virtual private network
A virtual private network is a network that uses primarily public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or traveling users access to a central organizational network....
, Internet Access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
and Bandwidth services. Another service; Fast Trade, was specifically designed for Finance customers involved in algorithmic trading
Algorithmic trading
In electronic financial markets, algorithmic trading or automated trading, also known as algo trading, black-box trading or robo trading, is the use of electronic platforms for entering trading orders with an algorithm deciding on aspects of the order such as the timing, price, or quantity of the...
who require extremely low latency and low packet loss on links between locations.
Interoute's managed services include application hosting
Internet hosting service
An Internet hosting service is a service that runs Internet servers, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content to the Internet. There are various levels of service and various kinds of services offered....
, IT services and network management
Network management
Network management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of networked systems....
.