Velocix today announced that it will provide free content delivery network services as part of a new offering called Velocix Accelerator.
The free CDN service includes a 500GB per month delivery allowance for global file download, video progressive streaming and website acceleration services. Companies requiring more than 500 GB per month or Flash Streaming or Hybrid-P2P download can opt for Velocix Accelerator Pro for $1,000 a month. Both Velocix Accelerator and Velocix Accelerator Pro are currently in closed Beta.
The free CDN service is designed to attract cost-conscious start-ups, who would then be candidates for the paid Accelerator Pro service as they grow or move into Flash delivery. But the launch of a free CDN - even as a funnel for paid services - will likely prompt fresh concern about pricing wars and profit margins in the increasingly crowded CDN market. The Velocix Accelerator launch follows the news that Voxel is offering an "ultra low cost" CDN service leveraging Amazon's utility computing platformS3, which is increasingly being used by video providers as a makeshift CDN.
"As visitor numbers expand and our Velocix Accelerator customers see an increasing demand for their on-line digital services, Velocix Accelerator Pro provides them with a simple upgrade that includes more advanced delivery services for their growing and more sophisticated digital asset delivery requirements," said John Dillon, Chief Marketing Officer of Velocix.
Velocix Accelerator Pro service comes with a 1.5TB monthly traffic allowance and includes full access to the Velocix Asset Control Portal for advanced digital asset management and reporting.
Early beta users of Accelerator include digital music label Craze Records. "Velocix is helping us deliver our music content, through AMP and other digital outlets, to audiences around the world," said Uri Levanon, Head of Technology at Craze Productions. "With Velocix Accelerator, we've taken a big step forward a lot sooner than we had planned, extending the reach of our high quality services from our home territories into international markets."
"Our new Velocix Accelerator and Velocix Accelerator Pro services provide stepping stones for start-ups, entrepreneurs and emerging new media businesses that introduce them to the benefits and advantages of high performance global digital delivery services," said Phill Robinson, CEO at Velocix. "These entry level services remove barriers and put these emerging companies on an even footing with their larger and more established competitors."
Velocix, which is based in Cambridge, England, specializes in delivering large digital media files such as video, software and games. The company says the hybrid-P2P approach, which combines traditional caching with peer-to-peer delivery, offers better scalability than traditional CDNs, as well as "compelling delivery costs and economics."
