For the most demanding end-users in the world, Gcore set out to build the most advanced content delivery network in the world

For the most demanding end-users in the world, Gcore set out to build the most advanced content delivery network in the world.

But to do it, they would need to balance high-performance on a massive scale with the flexibility to adapt to unpredictable growth and demand.

Balancing massive with nimble

Gcore know all about the world of massive multiplayer online gaming. With global hits such as World of Tanks, they understand there are no more demanding end-users than gamers: bad ping kills the game and they don’t go quietly.

In 2011, they started to build their own content delivery platform to meet these demands. This would eventually evolve into the Gcore platform. It was clear that success relied on meeting demand on two levels: Firstly, performance in terms of low latency and ultra- reliability were non-negotiable. If their end users even noticed their connection, they lost. Secondly, to adapt to fluctuating demand and rapid, unpredictable growth—in an industry where accurate forecasting can only be done in hindsight—they would need a great deal of flexibility and responsiveness from their connectivity partners.

From MMO to OMG!

In 2012, Telia Carrier was brought in to provide IP Transit. From there, it’s fair to say things escalated rather quickly. In 2013 Gcore was recognized by the Guiness Book of Records for the “Most Players Online Simultaneously on one MOG Server”. By 2014, their network was serving up to 1,114,000 online gamers simultaneously. In parallel, the Gcore platform was also delivering specialist high-load CDN services to other high-demand and high-value online segments.

As demand grew, so did the partnership. Telia Carrier connected Gcore’ global offices with an L2 VPN Ethernet solution and connected their datacenters with an EVPL Ethernet solution.

As Gcore’ network grew—to 41 PoPs on four continents—traffic volume skyrocketed. As the first to offer 100G on both sides of the Atlantic, Telia Carrier was able to help Gcore smoothly scale up to a flexible 100G network.

It doesn’t matter where you are—as long as you feel close

Today, Gcore supports major content and application providers all over the world including Wargaming, AdNow, and Hitbox. To support them, Telia Carrier supplies more than 30 IP ports across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including 100G in multiple locations. In addition to an array of 10 and 100G wavelength services, Gcore also utilizes Telia Carrier’s colocation facilities in a number of European and US cities.

But beyond the specs, the key to balancing massive with nimble has been the strong relationship between Gcore and their Telia Carrier account manager.

As for the end users, well, they don’t even notice—and that’s a great thing. Gcore has built a global CDN that connects content from all over the world as if it’s in the next room. It’s a testament to the same principle we at Telia Carrier live by: “Power to the User”. It boils down to this: when end users take global connectivity totally for granted, we know we’re doing our job.