Zeetta

Zeetta Networks was established in 2015 as a spin-out from the University of Bristol’s High-Performance Networks Group. The founding team, which included Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Vassilis Seferidis, Reza Nejabati, and Tasos Vlachogiannis, leveraged intellectual property from the university to address complexities in network management. Professor Simeonidou, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a leading academic in high-performance and programmable networks, co-founded the company, bringing deep technical expertise from her extensive research in 5G/6G, optical networking, and smart city infrastructures. Vassilis Seferidis served as the CEO, guiding the company through its initial growth and funding stages. The company's formation was supported by programs like SETsquared's ICURe, which helped it secure early-stage venture capital.

The firm specializes in simplifying connectivity and cloud-managed services for enterprises through mobile private networks. Zeetta developed a technology-agnostic, self-management interface that abstracts the underlying network complexity. This allows enterprise application developers and DevOps teams to consume and configure connectivity resources using a low-code or no-code approach, removing the dependency on specialized network support teams. The company’s core product, NetOS®, is a software platform that automates and monitors heterogeneous networks, enabling the creation of virtual "network slices." These slices are logically isolated sub-networks that can be tailored for specific applications, such as ultra-HD video distribution, city-wide Wi-Fi, and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, ensuring dedicated performance over a shared infrastructure.

Zeetta Networks operates on a B2B model, selling its NetOS® platform to service providers and enterprises with complex network environments like stadiums, airports, and hospitals. A notable early project involved deploying NetOS® at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium to manage its high-density Wi-Fi and various operational subsystems. This demonstrated the platform's ability to create a programmable and dynamically reconfigurable network infrastructure. The company secured multiple rounds of funding from investors including IP Group, Breed Reply, and Bloc Ventures, alongside grants from Innovate UK and the European Commission, to expand its commercial and technical teams and address new markets in 5G and smart cities. By mid-2024, the company was reported as being out of business.

Keywords: network virtualization, software-defined networking, SDN, network slicing, 5G, private networks, network orchestration, multi-vendor networks, network automation, NetOS, cloud-managed services, enterprise networking, IoT connectivity, smart stadiums, programmable networks, University of Bristol spin-out, telecom infrastructure, network-as-a-service, open networking, application-centric connectivity