With new US HQ, additional funding, BTI Systems readies for expansion

Optical packet transport systems vendor BTI Systems last week announced a new round of funding, the promotion of its U.S. center of excellence to headquarters status, and its readiness to step up its global marketing efforts.

The most recent funding round, led by new investor Bain Capital Ventures, occurred last May but is only being announced now, according to Sally Bament, senior vice president of global marketing. BTI Systems’ other investors – BDC, Covington Capital, Export Development Canada, Fujitsu Network Communications, GrowthWorks, and Kodiak Venture Partners – also contributed to the total of $23 million, Bament added. The money will go toward expanding BTI Systems’ direct and channel sales development, marketing, product development, and customer service, particularly as it seeks to further expand its worldwide customer base.

An immediate manifestation of that ambition is the company’s new U.S. headquarters, in Littleton, MA. (The company continues to operate its main headquarters in Ottawa.) Bament said that BTI Systems picked the area for the amount of local expertise in packet technology. The new U.S. headquarters will continue to serve as a center of excellence for packet, data, and content delivery technology development. It also will house a “showcase” facility that BTI Systems will use for customer briefings and product demonstrations.

BTI Systems also has beefed up its U.S.-based management staff. Besides Bament, BTI Systems last year hired Paul Crann as senior vice president of product management and business development and Mike Grady as senior vice president of engineering (see “BTI Systems announces expansion of product line, staff, global presence”). The company for the moment will maintain its previous facility in Marlborough, MA, but Bament said the company’s U.S. activities will likely “focus” on Littleton.

While Bament still sees significant opportunities for expansion in the U.S., including among cable MSOs, she pointed to recent contract announcements with SI Net in Cambodia and Epsilon Telecommunications in Singapore as examples of the company’s abilities to win business in Asia. Bament said that the European/Middle East/Africa market also is strong for BTI Systems, and the company expects to accelerate its efforts to maintain this worldwide momentum.

From a technology perspective, Bament suggested that upcoming product enhancements will improve the company’s offerings for mobile backhaul applications. Upgrades to service management, analytics capabilities, and the company’s Dynamic Optical Layer offering also appear to be in the cards. The company also is looking at offering outsourced network operation center services based on its recently announced proNX suite.