World's first MAUD enabled Content Delivery Network Announced

BT Group announces that it will collaborate with Edgio, as their first partner, to integrate their CDN into its MAUD technology solution. They plan to trial delivery of EE TV content on some set-top-boxes in the live network, in the coming months. Unveiling MAUD in December 2023, this collaboration takes the technology from proof of concept to real-world application with the first live CDN deployment, paving the way for other CDNs to follow.

With the continued demand for live content and the rise of on-demand services, MAUD is a key solution to how BT Group (or any other ISP) can manage ever increasing traffic loads. Using ‘multicast' to combine single streams into a shared stream, directing it to those that want to watch the action, MAUD efficiently delivers live streaming over the internet. This technology enhances viewer experiences by providing a more reliable, quality-focused, and sustainable delivery of live streaming.

CDN's are a critical part of the content delivery path – caching (storing) content as close as possible to the customer. For MAUD-enabled CDN operators such as Edgio, the technology will provide dedicated delivery for streaming TV over the internet, allowing the delivery of live content at a higher quality, with content less likely to be impacted by other internet traffic - such as large file downloads.

Enhanced content delivery efficiency from MAUD is expected to yield cost savings for CDN operators as they can achieve seamless scalability without needing to expand hardware caches. For large scale sporting events such as the World Cup or the Euros, this can be especially valuable as it enables CDN operators instant and guaranteed scale to meet demand from millions of concurrent viewers.

MAUD enabled CDNs also offer an environmentally sustainable solution for content providers. Using up to 50% less bandwidth during peak events, MAUD technology reduces energy consumption through the use of fewer caches. For content providers, integration with the MAUD-enabled CDN requires no changes to their end player apps.

Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group said: "BT Group's goal is to develop an efficient live streaming solution that addresses the needs of players within the content delivery path. Partnering with Edgio, we're pioneering an effective content delivery system that seamlessly integrates with CDNs, making it accessible for external content providers."

Emma Whitmore, Group Vice President EMEA at Edgio added: "Having worked with BT Group since the inception of MAUD we're delighted to be the first CDN to serve content through it. By reducing congestion in the core of telco networks, clients will benefit from a more consistent, high-quality experience. Combined with the seamless integration of our content providers, clients can easily adopt this technology in markets where there is a mix of solutions across the network."

As a key advocate for Open Caching, Edgio supports the Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA) in their mission to establish standards for scalable, efficient content delivery networks (CDNs). Building on the strengths of the Open Caching proposed and accepted standards, Edgio and BT Group can quickly establish the mechanisms needed to share the required information for this partnership to succeed.