Zen Internet announces major investment in its Next Generation Network

Zen Internet has announced a major investment in its next generation network that will significantly increase the number of exchanges where it has a Point of Presence (PoP).

The leading independent telecommunications and internet service provider (ISP) currently has more than 270 Points of Presence (PoPs) in BT exchanges, a figure that will rise to more than 400 by January 2017. The company will add 20 PoPs in London alone, bringing its presence in the capital to 60. All PoPs are enabled for Ethernet, FTTC, FTTP, EFM and ADSL.

Zen Technical Director Jon Bauer says the multi-million pound investment will support Zen’s long-term aim of providing quality, carrier grade services to customers.

He said: “Zen’s expanded network has been designed and built to support the growth of the business and that of our corporate and mid-market customers, as well as bolstering our Wholesale, Channel and voice-based ambitions. We are building a network that is ‘Fit for the Future’, and one which will support our customers’ future growth by delivering an ever wider portfolio of services.

“Carrier grade means customers can run their connectivity requirements on a network that has been tested and engineered to meet and exceed five nines high availability standards, with fast and automated fault detection, and recovery that can be achieved in milliseconds.”

This major expansion will spread Zen’s reach to well over 500,000 postcodes, covering nearly every corner of the UK. The growth of its robust on-net presence gives Zen real end-to-end control over performance, pricing and service, and means even more businesses will have access to cost-effective connectivity coupled with Zen’s award-winning support.

Dubbed Project Plexus, the new network is currently being rolled out across the UK and Zen expects it to go live in the New Year.

Mr Bauer said: “Zen already has a reputation for reliability. When complete this major expansion will deliver even greater flexibility, giving us the performance and capacity to supply all the industry-leading services our customers demand today and will increasingly demand in the future.”

Cisco estimates that annual global IP traffic will pass the zettabyte (1000 exabytes) threshold by the end of this year, and will reach two zettabytes a couple of years later. As companies demand ever-increasing amounts of data they need robust and affordable infrastructure to carry it. That, along with the increasing demand for bandwidth in homes across Britain, has fuelled Zen’s desire to further invest in its network.

Zen Technical Architect Andy Furnell said: “Zen will build upon our existing network assets, extending into two additional core network locations, and refreshing our national core network technology to meet the growing demands of our connectivity customers.

“Our new network will be built using the latest software-defined technologies, to deliver an even more efficient and flexible service for new and existing customers. We are very excited to be working with market-leading vendors and technology to deliver a network that will be the beating heart of our business for the next five years and beyond.”

Zen believes that services like voice and cloud hosting will drive expansion in the medium term. Zen’s voice platform currently delivers more than 1.1 million calls every month, equivalent to 33,000 hours of talk. Meanwhile, demand for storage has grown by 65% in the past three months.

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For further information:
Please contact Emma Cooney, Interim Head of Marketing, Zen Internet. Emma.cooney@zeninternet.co.uk 01706 902000.

Editor’s Notes

Zen Internet is a telecommunications and internet service provider (ISP), providing a full range of data, voice, hosting and infrastructure services to homes and businesses across the UK.

Zen provides its customers with the capabilities they need to communicate, collaborate and thrive in a highly-connected world, all supported by a highly robust and resilient independent network.

The company delivers excellent customer service and technical support and was recently named a Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband Services.

Zen also provides business-grade broadband, Ethernet and data services for a wide range of large business and corporate customers.

Zen Internet employs more than 400 staff and last year (2015) generated revenues of GBP 54.2m.

The company has won many awards for excellent services including PC Pro’s Best Internet Service Provider; the UK IT Industry Award for Services Company of the Year and a UK Customer Experience Silver Award for Technology & Telecoms.

Zen is a Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For.