ITXC Corporation

ITXC Corporation, whose name referred to Internet Telephony Exchange Carrier, was a United States-based telecommunications company focused on wholesale voice-over-Internet-Protocol services. Rather than primarily selling telephone service directly to consumers, it operated as an exchange and carrier for telecommunications companies and other service providers that needed to terminate international calls. Its business model was part of the early development of commercial Internet telephony, when voice traffic was increasingly transported through packet-switched networks alongside conventional circuit-switched telephone systems. The company was co-founded in 1997 by Tom Evslin and Mary Evslin. Its early financing included seed money from AT&T and VocalTec, an Israeli technology company associated with early commercial voice-over-IP systems. VocalTec initially supplied the technology used to operate ITXC's network and held a 20 percent ownership interest before later selling that stake. This relationship linked ITXC's carrier ambitions with one of the key technology suppliers in the formative Internet telephony market. ITXC built its business around interconnecting voice providers and routing calls across an Internet-based network. The company served the wholesale telecommunications sector, where scale, international reach, routing quality, pricing, and interconnection arrangements were central competitive factors. In 2000, ITXC was described as having the largest Internet telephony network in the world, reflecting the rapid expansion of Internet-based calling during the period. Its technology platform later changed as the company consolidated its network infrastructure. In 2003, ITXC moved to exclusive use of Cisco equipment. This marked a shift away from the earlier technology arrangement associated with VocalTec and placed the network on equipment supplied by a major enterprise networking and telecommunications vendor. ITXC remained an independent company until 2004, when it was acquired by Teleglobe Bermuda Ltd. The acquisition ended ITXC's existence as an independent corporate entity. Publicly available reference material provides limited detail about its post-acquisition integration, financial performance, management structure, or the precise scope of the combined business. ITXC is therefore best understood as an early wholesale VoIP carrier whose significance came from helping industrialize international voice routing over the Internet before its acquisition.

ITXC Corporation emerged in 1997 during the early commercial expansion of voice over Internet Protocol. Founded by Tom Evslin and Mary Evslin, the company pursued a wholesale-carrier model rather than a conventional consumer telephone business. It aimed to connect telecommunications providers and carry international voice traffic through Internet-based infrastructure. The company received seed funding from AT&T and VocalTec. VocalTec, an Israeli company involved in early VoIP technology, initially provided the technology supporting ITXC's network and held a 20 percent stake in the business. This arrangement reflected the close relationship between emerging Internet telephony carriers and the suppliers developing the underlying gateways, software, and network equipment. VocalTec later sold its interest in ITXC. ITXC expanded as international voice providers experimented with packet-based routing as an alternative or complement to traditional telephone networks. Wholesale VoIP carriers could use Internet connectivity and interconnection agreements to route calls across borders, potentially lowering costs and expanding the number of available termination routes. ITXC's role was to operate and coordinate this type of carrier network, making it an early example of a company built around commercial Internet voice exchange. By 2000, ITXC was described as having the largest Internet telephony network in the world. The claim illustrates the company's prominence during a period when Internet telephony was moving from an experimental technology toward a large-scale telecommunications service. Its importance was principally infrastructural: it connected providers and handled voice traffic rather than presenting itself mainly as a mass-market calling brand. ITXC subsequently changed its equipment strategy. In 2003, it moved to exclusive use of Cisco equipment, replacing the earlier technology relationship in which VocalTec had supplied the network platform. The change indicates an effort to standardize or scale the carrier infrastructure around equipment from a major networking manufacturer, although the available reference material does not provide operational or financial details about the transition. In 2004, Teleglobe Bermuda Ltd. acquired ITXC Corporation. The transaction brought the company under new ownership and ended its independent identity. Available public material does not establish a detailed account of the integration, later branding, or the fate of all ITXC operations. ITXC's historical significance therefore rests on its place in the first generation of large wholesale VoIP carriers and on its role in the shift of international voice services toward Internet-based transport.

• 2004

  Acquired by Teleglobe Bermuda

  [1]ITXC Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Teleglobe Bermuda Ltd. acquired ITXC Corporation, ending its independent corporate existence.

• 2003

  Exclusive Cisco infrastructure adopted

  [1]ITXC Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  ITXC changed its network equipment strategy and moved to exclusive use of Cisco equipment.

• 2000

  Network reached leading global scale

  [1]ITXC Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  ITXC was described as operating the world's largest Internet telephony network.

• 1997

  ITXC Corporation founded

  [1]ITXC Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Tom Evslin and Mary Evslin established ITXC as a wholesale Internet telephony carrier with seed financing from AT&T and VocalTec.

An early international wholesale voice-over-IP carrier positioned around large-scale Internet-based call routing and interconnection for telecommunications providers.

• Wholesale voice over IP network · 1997

  ITXC Internet telephony network

  ITXC's principal offering was a carrier-grade network for routing voice calls over Internet Protocol infrastructure. It connected telecommunications providers and supported international wholesale call termination, allowing partner carriers to use Internet-based transport rather than relying exclusively on traditional circuit-switched routes. The network was initially supported by VocalTec technology and later standardized on Cisco equipment.

• 2004

  Acquisition by Teleglobe Bermuda Ltd.M&A

  Background

  ITXC had developed into a large wholesale Internet telephony carrier, but public reference material provides no detailed account of its standalone financial position at the time of the transaction.

  Action taken

  Teleglobe Bermuda Ltd. acquired ITXC Corporation.

  Aftermath

  ITXC ceased to operate as an independent company. Details of post-acquisition integration and subsequent brand treatment are not established by the cited reference.

  Source

• 2003

  Standardization on Cisco network equipmentStrategy

  Background

  ITXC had initially used technology supplied by VocalTec, which also held an ownership stake in the company. As the carrier network developed, ITXC changed its infrastructure approach.

  Action taken

  The company moved to exclusive use of Cisco equipment for its voice-over-IP network.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not specify the operational or financial effects, but the change represented a significant technology-platform transition before the company's acquisition.

  Source

1. 1ITXC Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ITXC at Telephony.comtelephony.com