Coppercom

About Coppercom

In the late 90s, the telecommunications world was on the cusp of a major shift. In 1997, a company called Coppercom was founded in Santa Clara, California, with its sights set on the emerging voice-over-broadband market. Their strategy was to build the hardware that would allow voice calls to travel over new DSL internet lines. Around the same time, a family-owned business in Tennessee called DTI was known for making reliable and low-cost telephone network switches. As the market evolved, both companies saw a bigger opportunity. In March 2000, in a bold move for two private companies, Coppercom acquired DTI Networks. The goal was to combine Coppercom's voice-over-DSL gateways with DTI's expertise in softswitches—software-based systems that could manage both traditional and internet-based call traffic. This merger, which created a single company under the Coppercom name, was designed to create an integrated solution in a market filled with complex partnerships. The new entity was led by Coppercom's CEO, Cynthia Ringo. Despite raising significant venture capital, the company faced struggles as the broader telecom market soured. After a change in leadership, Coppercom was acquired by The Heico Companies in October 2003, which specialized in turning around struggling technology firms. While the company continued to support its deployed products for a time, it eventually stopped selling its softswitch products in a competitive market.