RAD Data Communications
Israeli networking-equipment company specializing in telecommunications access, carrier Ethernet, timing, service assurance, and network-function virtualization.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Anthropic2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
RAD Data Communications Ltd. is an Israeli privately held technology company that designs and manufactures specialized networking equipment for telecommunications and other critical communications environments. Founded in 1981 by brothers Yehuda Zisapel and Zohar Zisapel, the company originated as a product-development spin-off from Bynet, a networking-hardware distribution business established by Yehuda Zisapel in 1973. The name RAD was derived from “Research And Development,” reflecting the founders’ intention to build proprietary communications products rather than remain solely a distributor. RAD’s first major commercial success was a compact modem for telephone lines that could operate without a separate power source. Miniaturization became an important part of the company’s identity and product strategy. Its early modem business expanded rapidly, and by 1985 the company reported annual revenue of $5.5 million. A later compact product, the SRM-3, was recognized by the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest modem at the time. The company’s early products connected terminals and other equipment over legacy telecommunications infrastructure, while its later portfolio addressed the migration of carrier and enterprise networks toward packet-based technologies. RAD became the largest company in the RAD Group, a group of technology businesses associated with the Zisapel brothers. Its product and engineering activities have covered access equipment, Carrier Ethernet, business DSL, hardware virtualization, service assurance, operations and administration, traffic and fault management, synchronization and timing over packet, TDM pseudowire, and hardware platforms using ASICs, FPGAs, and small-form-factor optical interfaces. The company has also developed solutions for utility communications and other environments where network availability, monitoring, and operational control are important. A notable area of specialization has been the transition from time-division multiplexing to IP and Ethernet. RAD introduced its TDM over IP technology in 1998, helping network operators transport legacy voice and data services across packet networks. It later worked on distributed network-function virtualization, or D-NFV, and on virtual customer-premises equipment for IP and Carrier Ethernet services. These efforts placed software-based network functions closer to the network edge and were intended to give operators more flexibility in deploying routing, demarcation, monitoring, and other functions. RAD has participated in industry-standardization and technical organizations including the Broadband Forum, ETSI’s NFV Industry Specification Group, the International Telecommunication Union, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and the Metro Ethernet Forum. In 2014 it opened a reported $32 million research and development center in Beersheba focused on network-functions virtualization and software-defined networking. The company subsequently introduced timing, virtualization, and modular network-edge products, including an SFP-based IEEE 1588 grandmaster clock with an integrated GNSS receiver and a virtualized customer-premises platform with field-pluggable modules. The company serves customers through a broad international channel. Reference material describes an installed base exceeding 15 million units, more than 150 telecommunications carriers and service providers, approximately 300 partner channels, distribution in over 150 countries, and offices on six continents. RAD’s customers and end users also include transportation operators, electric and other utilities, public-sector organizations, security agencies, and educational institutions. RAD remains a privately held member of the RAD Group rather than a separately listed public company. Its present positioning is that of a specialist infrastructure supplier focused on reliable, manageable, and increasingly virtualized communications networks rather than a mass-mark…
History
RAD Data Communications was established in 1981 by brothers Yehuda Zisapel and Zohar Zisapel. The company developed from Bynet, a networking-hardware distribution business founded by Yehuda Zisapel in 1973. The founders created RAD to pursue proprietary communications products and named it after the phrase “Research And Development.” This origin gave the company a technology-development orientation from the beginning. RAD’s first successful product was a small telephone-line modem that did not need a separate power supply. Its compact design was unusual for the period and helped the company gain commercial traction. By 1985, annual revenue had reached $5.5 million. The company continued to emphasize miniaturization and compact deployment, culminating in recognition of the SRM-3 modem in the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest modem at that time. The device was designed for connecting asynchronous terminals to host computers. As telecommunications networks evolved, RAD broadened its activities beyond basic modems. Its engineering work came to include business DSL, Carrier Ethernet, access technologies, service assurance, operations and administration, traffic management, fault management, timing and synchronization, hardware virtualization, and TDM pseudowire. The company’s products supported operators that needed to carry legacy services while adopting packet-based transport and Ethernet architectures. In 1998 RAD introduced TDM over IP technology. This addressed the challenge of transporting traditional time-division-multiplexed services across IP networks. The technology became part of the company’s broader focus on network migration and interoperability between legacy telecommunications systems and newer packet networks. RAD also developed hardware using ASIC and FPGA technologies and pursued compact SFP-based designs for communications equipment. The company later concentrated significant research activity on software-defined networking and network-functions virtualization. In 2013 it pioneered distributed network-function virtualization, known as D-NFV, an approach intended to place virtualized network functions at distributed network locations rather than relying only on centralized facilities. In 2014 RAD opened a new research and development center in Beersheba, reportedly representing a $32 million investment, with a focus on NFV and SDN solutions. During 2015 and 2016, RAD expanded its virtualized edge-network portfolio. It introduced an SFP-based IEEE 1588 grandmaster clock with an integrated GNSS receiver, aimed at accurate synchronization in packet networks. It also launched a virtual customer-premises equipment platform for IP and Carrier Ethernet services. The platform used a field-pluggable module to host virtual network functions, and a later white-box option could be upgraded by license to support functions including routing, service demarcation, and performance monitoring. RAD’s activities extend beyond commercial telecom operators. Its communications platforms and security-related solutions have been associated with public utilities, transportation systems, governments, homeland-security organizations, and educational institutions. The company has participated in technical and standardization bodies including the Broadband Forum, ETSI NFV ISG, ITU, IETF, and MEF. Reference material describes a global presence of approximately 30 offices, around 300 partner channels, distribution in more than 150 countries, and an installed base exceeding 15 million units. RAD is the largest company within the privately held RAD Group of companies. Its Tel Aviv headquarters, opened in 2000, also became notable for displaying one of the posthumous casts of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, acquired by Yehuda Zisapel. RAD remains focused on specialized communications infrastructure and is not a publicly listed company.
- 2016
White-box vCPE option added
[1]RAD added a license-upgradable white-box option supporting functions including routing, service demarcation, and performance monitoring.
- 2015
SFP-based IEEE 1588 grandmaster introduced
[1]RAD presented an SFP-based IEEE 1588 grandmaster clock with an integrated GNSS receiver at Mobile World Congress.
- 2015
Virtual customer-premises equipment launched
[1]RAD launched a vCPE platform for IP and Carrier Ethernet services, using a field-pluggable module to host virtual network functions.
- 2014
Beersheba R&D center opens
[1]RAD opened an advanced research and development center in Beersheba for NFV and SDN development.
- 2013
Distributed network-function virtualization
[1]RAD pioneered distributed network-function virtualization, marketed as D-NFV.
- 2000
Tel Aviv headquarters opens
[1]RAD’s current Tel Aviv headquarters opened; its lobby became the permanent home of a cast of Rodin’s The Thinker acquired by Yehuda Zisapel.
- 1998
TDM over IP technology
[1]RAD introduced TDM over IP technology for transporting time-division-multiplexed services over packet networks.
- 1994
Israel Export Award
[1]RAD received the Israel Export Award.
- 1992
SRM-3 receives compactness recognition
[1]The SRM-3 modem was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest modem at the time.
- 1985
Early commercial growth
[1]RAD’s annual revenue reached $5.5 million after its compact telephone-line modem gained commercial acceptance.
Products and positioning
Specialized networking equipment and software-enabled infrastructure provider for carriers, service providers, utilities, transportation systems, governments, and other organizations operating critical communications networks.
Modems · 1981
Compact telephone-line modems
RAD’s early product success came from compact modems designed for telephone-line communications. One model operated without a separate power source, an unusual feature for its era, and helped establish the company’s reputation for miniaturized networking equipment.
Modem
SRM-3
The SRM-3 was a miniature modem used to connect asynchronous terminals to host computers. Its exceptionally small dimensions led to recognition in the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest modem at that time.
Packet-transport technology · 1998
TDM over IP
Introduced in 1998, RAD’s TDM over IP technology transports legacy time-division-multiplexed services across IP networks. It addressed the practical need to migrate traditional voice and data services onto packet infrastructures without immediately replacing all legacy equipment.
Network-function virtualization · 2013
D-NFV
D-NFV, or distributed network-function virtualization, is RAD’s approach to deploying virtualized network functions at distributed network edges. It formed part of the company’s strategy for combining compact hardware platforms with software-based routing, monitoring, demarcation, and other network functions.
Network timing and synchronization · 2015
SFP-based IEEE 1588 grandmaster clock
This compact timing product combines an SFP form factor with IEEE 1588 grandmaster functionality and an integrated GNSS receiver. It was designed to provide accurate synchronization for packet-based communications networks.
Network-function virtualization platform · 2015
Virtual customer-premises equipment
RAD’s vCPE platform supports IP and Carrier Ethernet services and uses a field-pluggable module for hosting virtual network functions. The later white-box configuration could be upgraded by license for routing, service demarcation, performance monitoring, and related functions.
Brand decisions
2016
Add a license-upgradable white-box vCPE optionGeneration changeBackground
Network operators increasingly wanted hardware platforms that could support changing software functions over time.
Action taken
RAD added a white-box configuration to its vCPE portfolio and made network functions license-upgradable.
Aftermath
The offering extended RAD’s software-defined edge-network strategy and supported multiple functions on a common platform.
2015
Launch vCPE platform for IP and Carrier EthernetProduct launchBackground
Service providers sought more flexible ways to deploy customer-edge functions and introduce software-based services without replacing all physical access equipment.
Action taken
RAD launched a virtual customer-premises equipment platform with a field-pluggable module for hosting virtual network functions.
Aftermath
The platform was expanded in 2016 with a license-upgradable white-box option for routing, service demarcation, and performance monitoring.
2013
Pursue distributed network-function virtualizationStrategyBackground
Network operators were exploring software-defined networking and virtualization as alternatives to deploying every service function in dedicated hardware.
Action taken
RAD pioneered D-NFV, an approach for distributing virtualized network functions across network-edge locations.
Aftermath
NFV and SDN became major themes in RAD’s research program, including the company’s Beersheba development center and later vCPE products.
1998
Commercialize TDM over IPProduct launchBackground
Telecommunications operators were beginning to move from traditional time-division systems toward IP and Ethernet infrastructures while still needing to support legacy services.
Action taken
RAD introduced TDM over IP technology to carry legacy TDM services across packet networks.
Aftermath
The technology became a core example of RAD’s focus on network migration and interoperability between legacy and packet-based systems.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/rad-data-communications · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled