Genband


GENBAND US LLC was a privately held company that makes IP-based real time communications software products for fixed wireline, mobile, and cable service providers as well as large enterprises. The company was formed in 1999 as General Bandwidth, and is headquartered in Frisco, Texas. In the following 15 years it acquired several other companies doing related work.
GENBAND has major operations in 50 countries. It works with over 80 of the global top 100 service providers and has more than 800 customers in 80 countries.
On 30 October 2017 the merger was completed between GENBAND and Sonus Networks to form Ribbon Communications.

History

GENBAND was founded in 1999 as General Bandwidth by Paul Carew, Brendon Mills, Ron Lutz and Steve Raich in Austin, Texas and received initial venture capital funding of $12 million. The company raised over $200M in four rounds of venture funding and grew to over 200 people by 2003.
In 2004, Charles Vogt joined the company as CEO and President. In March 2006, General Bandwidth changed its name to GENBAND, Inc. and moved its headquarters to Plano, Texas.
GENBAND started as a media gateway vendor selling the G6 media gateway, but has since branched out to IP switching, IP Applications, IMS and Session Border Controllers.
In addition to internal research and development, the company has expanded its product portfolio through multiple acquisitions. GENBAND currently holds more than 240 U.S. patents and has been granted more than 100 patents in other countries. Additionally, GENBAND continues innovating and growing its portfolio through patent filings, with more than 100 applications currently pending.
In 2007, GENBAND acquired Tekelec’s Switching Solutions Group, which expanded GENBAND’s product offerings in applications software and SIP trunking gateways. In 2008, the company acquired Nokia Siemens Networks’ Surpass HiG media gateway product portfolio, including fixed-line trunking media gateways. The company concluded 2008 with the acquisition of NextPoint Networks, which included session border controller and security gateway offerings.
In 2010, GENBAND purchased Nortel Networks' Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions business. The acquisition quadrupled the size of the company and made GENBAND the market share leader in carrier VoIP.
Following the acquisition, GENBAND announced a product roadmap based on GENBAND GENiUS, a software centric, unified IP switching and networking platform, which integrates the company's application server, call control, session border controller and security products and simplifies building and managing communications networks.
In 2011, GENBAND acquired Cedar Point Communications, making it a VoIP market share leader in the cable industry.
In 2012, GENBAND acquired Aztek Networks, a switch maker specializing in hardware that allows for a smoother transition from legacy to IP networks.
In 2012 GENBAND was named the top-ventured capital backed company by the Wall Street Journal out of nearly 6,000 companies that were considered.
In 2013, GENBAND acquired Fringland Ltd., provider of the Fring! app, an Over-the-top mobile IP communications service provider. Two years later, GENBAND announced the launch of the Fring Alliance, a global OTT community that enables communications service providers to come together to provide instant messaging, voice and video services to their subscribers.
Charles Vogt left GENBAND in 2013 and David Walsh added the CEO position to his other already held title of Chairman.
In 2014, GENBAND acquired uReach Technologies, a provider of Unified Communications and messaging solutions, and introduced the Generation Enterprise family of unified communications products and services for business customers.
In 2014, GENBAND also launched Kandy, a cloud-based, real-time software development communications platform-as-a-service.
In May 2015, GENBAND was named one of the world’s most disruptive companies, ranking 22nd in CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list.

Products