Zeetta Networks’ NetOS platform – an open networking platform designed to help make cities smarter – has been a tremendous success. The Bristol-based startup’s unique software network solution has found itself optimising projects from Ashton Gate Stadium’s pursuit to go high-tech to the University of Bristol’s quest for 5G.

Thanks to Bloc Ventures, as well as existing investors IP Group and Breed Reply, the team has successfully closed another funding round, leaving them with a healthy £1.6 million to expand the business.

“Our virtualisation technology will allow network users of all sizes to maximise the opportunities provided by the deployment of new 5G services”

 

Keen to find out just how Zeetta Networks plans to use this finance, we caught up with Nick Randall, Sales and Marketing Director. He tells us, “The investment allows us to leverage our current engagements in key projects in order to bring to market a network virtualisation, or slicing, technology that will redefine the way that enterprises and carrier customers will buy network services from the network operators.”

Funding the future

NetOS essentially enhances the performance of IT systems, therefore appeals to a plethora of existing tech businesses. The software is currently being deployed to ultra-HD video distribution, city-wide Wi-Fi and the Internet of Things (IoT).

This round will be used to expand Zeetta Networks’ channels into wider enterprise markets, but it mainly offers a gateway for NetOS to become an ever bigger part of the quest for a strong, reliable 5G network.

“The South West has benefited from a long term, far sited approach to building a digital economy”

 

Throughout its lifetime, Zeetta Networks has received over £6 million worth of investment, proving that the people believe in the potential. This time around, the focus will be solely on integrating its product into the two highly competitive markets.

Nick tells us, “Our virtualisation technology will allow network users of all sizes to maximise the opportunities provided by the deployment of new 5G services, the ongoing expansion in numbers and varieties of networked devices and the associated data potentially available from those devices.”

Home is where the heart is

Zeetta Networks was born out of the University of Bristol, and ever since the company has been working tirelessly in the region – including getting involved with the three-year METRO-HAUL project investigating cost-efficient optical metro networks to meet the challenges of what 5G will bring to smart cities.

The team will be working with the University of Bristol’s High-Performance Networking group in the Department of Engineering alongside 19 other organisations around Europe to develop the next generation of optical networks to support 5G wireless technology.

The team believe they’re in the right place to continue to build on what they’ve started. Nick says, “The South West has benefited from a long term, far sited approach to building a digital economy. With lots of R&D – public and private – and a concentration of technology companies – the South West is a great place to find top talent and to build a great ecosystem of technology partners.”

Thanks to Nick for taking the time to talk to us. You can check out Zeetta Networks’ website for more info, or keep up to date with its latest news by following them on Twitter here: @ZeettaNetworks.

Bristol R&D Software