Metaswitch Explained

Metaswitch Networks
Type:Subsidiary
Founder:Ian S. Ferguson
Industry:Telecommunications
Products:Virtualized software for service providers, network protocol stacks for equipment manufacturers
Parent:Alianza (2025-present)
Footnotes:[1] [2]
Hq Location City:London
Hq Location Country:United Kingdom
Num Locations:11
Num Locations Year:2019

Metaswitch Networks (formerly Data Connection Ltd) is a private UK-based telecommunications software company. It designs, develops, manufactures, and markets telecommunications software to communication service providers, equipment manufacturers, and large enterprises.

After being acquired by Microsoft in July 2020,[3] Metaswitch Networks has been owned by Alianza since March 4, 2025.[4]

Corporate history

Then known as Data Connection, the firm was founded in 1981 by seven former IBM employees led by Ian Ferguson, who remained on the board of directors until its sale to Microsoft.[5] [6] [7] [8] Their earliest business areas included IBM Systems Network Architecture (SNA) and retail point of sale systems. In the 1990s, the company began developing network protocol software.[5]

In 2000, the company launched the Metaswitch brand, which provided softswitches and network management systems designed to enable telephone service providers to migrate to Voice over IP (VoIP) networks while still supporting legacy telephone technologies.[5] By 2008, the Metaswitch division was responsible for 78% of the company's revenue.[9]

In April 2009, the company announced intentions to consolidate all of its products and business operations under the Metaswitch brand, with two business units: the Carrier Systems Division and Network Protocol Division.[10]

In October 2009, the firm rebranded itself as Metaswitch Networks, to reflect the growing focus on the products and services that it sells to telephone service providers.[11] In August 2011, it formally changed its name from Data Connection Ltd to Metaswitch Networks Ltd.[12]

In July 2014, the company moved some of its software to open-source with the launch of Project Calico.[13] Project Calico was subsequently spun out into an independent startup, Tigera, Inc., with Andy Randall (formerly the general manager of Metaswitch’s Networking Business Unit) as CEO.[14]

On 15 July 2020, two months after announcing a definitive agreement,[15] [16] Microsoft completed the purchase of Metaswitch Networks.[16] [17] In June 2024, Microsoft made major cuts to its Azure for Operators business, which then included most of Metaswitch.[18]

In December 2024, Alianza announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch from Microsoft.[19] On 04 March 2025, the acquisition was completed.[20]

Acquisitions

In March 2010, the firm acquired AppTrigger Inc, a provider of service broker software in Richardson, Texas.[21] In April 2011, it acquired Colibria AS, a provider of Rich Communication Suite (RCS) software in Oslo, Norway.[22] In February 2017, Metaswitch acquired OpenCloud Ltd, a provider of an open mobile services platform.[23]

Ownership and investors

In 1987, Metaswitch established the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) to hold shares of the company on behalf of the employees, which enabled company-wide profit sharing.[24] [25]

In January 2008 Francisco Partners, a private equity firm, and Sequoia Capital, a venture capitalist firm, invested an undisclosed sum in Metaswitch.[26] [27]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fact Sheet Overview. Metaswitch Networks.
  2. Web site: Locations. Metaswitch Networks.
  3. Web site: Microsoft to acquire Metaswitch Networks to expand Azure capabilities for operators . Microsoft Blog . 14 May 2020 . 30 April 2025.
  4. Alianza Completes Acquisition of Metaswitch from Microsoft to Empower Service Provider Growth and Help Telcos Close a Massive Gap in Services Revenue . PR Newswire . 4 March 2025 . 30 April 2025.
  5. Web site: History. Metaswitch Networks.
  6. Web site: MetaSwitch - Engineered for Success in VoB/VoIP . Optical Keyhole. 15 March 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20070820124301/http://opticalkeyhole.com/interviews/metaswitch.asp. 20 August 2007.
  7. Web site: Board of Directors. Metaswitch Networks.
  8. Web site: METASWITCH NETWORKS LTD - Filing history (free information from Companies House). 2020-07-15. beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. en.
  9. Web site: Metaswitch Touts 22% Growth . Connected Planet Online . 29 October 2008 . Karpinski . Rich . 21 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721004253/http://connectedplanetonline.com/software/news/metaswitch-touts-growth-1029/index.html . dead .
  10. Web site: MetaSwitch Forum 2009: MetaSwitch appoints Lazar CEO, adds DeNuccio to board, consolidates brand . FierceVoIP . FierceMarkets . 8 April 2009 . Mohney . Doug . https://web.archive.org/web/20101211113959/http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/metaswitch-forum-2009-metaswitch-appoints-lazar-ceo-adds-denuccio-board-consolidates-brand/200 . 11 December 2010 . dead .
  11. Metaswitch Networks Annual Results Show Revenue Growth, Strong Profitability and Market Share Gains. Metaswitch Networks. 7 October 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111109113201/http://www.metaswitch.com/news/press-releases/2009/metaswitch-networks-annual-results-show-revenue-growth-strong-profitability. 9 November 2011.
  12. Web site: Metaswitch Networks. Companies in the UK.
  13. Web site: Metaswitch opens NFV code as Project Calico. . en-US. 2018-01-01.
  14. Web site: Tozzi . Christopher . 20 May 2016 . Tigera Plans to Solve the Container Networking Challenge .
  15. Web site: Microsoft announces definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch Network. 14 May 2020.
  16. Web site: Microsoft announces definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch Networks, expanding approach to empower operators and partner with network equipment providers to deliver on promise of 5G . 14 May 2020 . Yousef . Khalidi . 12 October 2021.
  17. Web site: Microsoft Completes Metaswitch Networks Acquisition . 16 July 2020.
  18. Web site: Layoffs crash into Microsoft's Azure for Operators . 2025-02-07 . www.lightreading.com . en.
  19. Web site: 2024-12-10 . Alianza Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Metaswitch from Microsoft Alianza . 2025-02-07 . www.alianza.com . en-US.
  20. Web site: 2025-03-04 . Alianza Completes Acquisition of Metaswitch from Microsoft to Empower Service Provider Growth and Help Telcos Close a Massive Gap in Services Revenue - Full-Stack Communications for Service Providers Alianza . 2025-03-05 . www.alianza.com . en-US.
  21. Metaswitch Enters Service Broker Market with Acquisition of AppTrigger . Metaswitch Networks . 9 March 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111109113505/http://www.metaswitch.com/news/press-releases/2010/metaswitch-enters-service-broker-market-acquisition-apptrigger . 9 November 2011 .
  22. Metaswitch Acquires Colibria. 6 April 2011. Metaswitch Networks. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111109114232/http://www.metaswitch.com/news/press-releases/2011/metaswitch-acquires-colibria. 9 November 2011.
  23. News: Metaswitch Eyes VoLTE With OpenCloud Buy Light Reading. Light Reading. 2017-03-13. en.
  24. Web site: DCL: Hiring Toward Profits . Light Reading. UBM TechWeb. 22 September 2003. Jander. Mary. https://web.archive.org/web/20031103090221/http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=40555. 3 November 2003.
  25. Web site: Stability . Metaswitch Networks . 12 June 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100612162730/http://www.metaswitch.com/company/stability.aspx . Ownership . The company is privately held by top-tier investment firms Francisco Partners and Sequoia Capital, as well as the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT), which distributes a share of profit to all employees… . dead .
  26. Metaswitch Networks. 14 January 2008. Francisco Partners and Sequoia Capital make significant investment in Data Connection and MetaSwitch. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120120225525/http://www.metaswitch.com/news/press-releases/2008/francisco-partners-and-sequoia-capital-make-significant-investment-data-con. 20 January 2012.
  27. Web site: MetaSwitch gets cash infusion . Connected Planet Online . 14 January 2008 . Wilson . Carol . 21 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721004341/http://connectedplanetonline.com/software/news/metaswitch-finding-investment-0114/ . dead .

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