Geo Networks Limited (Geo), a provider of dedicated fibre networks, has announced that it will deploy and manage a dedicated fibre network for global eGaming company bet365. The 10 year deal, which will see Geo take its first steps into the gaming sector, will enable bet365 to respond to increased network demands with a scalable, reliable and future-proofed solution. Dedicated fibre will result in improved latency and enable bet365 to continue to deliver a superior end-user experience, even during periods of rapid growth.
The Geo-managed network, worth in excess of £3m, will be deployed between bet365’s key UK data centres in Stoke, Manchester, Heathrow and the City of London. The new deal will ensure fast and reliable distribution of bet365’s data across its network in real time, at a latency of less than 3 milliseconds, as well as the rapid reconciliation of millions of daily transactions.
Neil Selby, Head of Networks and Security for bet365, said: “As player numbers continue to grow, we must find innovative ways to make sure our infrastructure can meet the demand today, and the growth we anticipate in the future. We needed a robust, low latency network that could provide a seamless service to the hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously online, each of whom rightfully expect their odds information and of course their winnings to be readily available”.
Selby continued: “The nature of our business requires a network that can deal with tremendous spikes in traffic, but with Geo we have the additional benefit of owning our network and having a huge degree of control. Critical to us was accommodating all perceived growth prospects, leveraging the business continuity aspects and delivering a smooth user experience.”
A key driver in bet365 selecting Geo was the ability for the company to own its own network – a unique service that Geo provides. As well as providing fibre capable of scaling up to terabit capacity, the network topology greatly enhances bet365’s business continuity strategy by eradicating a single point of failure. And with the exclusive location of Geo’s network in London’s sewers and nationally tracking the gas mains, bet365 will also benefit from a resilient and secure system, eliminating the problem of service interruptions synonymous with shared platforms.
Chris Smedley, Chief Executive at Geo, said: “With experience in providing dedicated fibre networks for some of the most data intensive organisations in the UK, Geo will ensure that bet365 will have the capacity to provide its players with uninterrupted access to online services and the infrastructure to react to peaks in demand.”
Smedley continued: “The eGaming industry presents a huge area for growth as it needs a significant amount of network capacity. This is a new breed of customer for Geo and we are very much looking forward to developing our experience in the eGaming industry.”
The network is expected to go live at the turn of the year, with an initial equipped capacity of over 130Gbit/s.
About Geo Networks
Geo is the only company in the UK solely focused on the designing and building of bespoke dedicated fibre network solutions. Geo’s revolutionary and flexible approach means that for the first time, organisations can own and control their networks, ensuring that security, high bandwidth and resilience are guaranteed. By allowing its customers to directly own and control the underlying optical fibre that is at the heart of their data network, Geo is the only truly open access network provider in the UK. It provides an extensive range of solutions including fully managed networks, dark fibre and co-location services. Geo enables network solutions throughout the UK and in the London area. Customers include mobile operators, service providers, major banks and the public sector. Geo is listed as the UK’s 3rd fastest growing telecoms & networking company in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list for 2010. Geo was also shortlisted for the 2010 Sunday Times Tech Track 100: Barclays Corporate Performance Excellence Award. Visit www.geo-uk.net for more information.