Entrisphere

About Entrisphere

Entrisphere was a telecommunications vendor established in 2000 in Santa Clara, California, by Philip Winterbottom and Bill Coughran. The company secured significant venture capital, raising approximately $170 million over several funding rounds from investors including Accel Partners, Benchmark Capital, and Crosspoint Venture Partners. Mark Floyd, a co-founder of Efficient Networks, joined as president and CEO in 2002, the same year the company raised $33 million in its second funding round.

The firm specialized in developing fiber broadband access solutions for telecommunications carriers. Its core business involved providing equipment that enabled service providers to offer advanced data, voice, and video services over fiber-optic networks. Entrisphere's product line included broadband-loop multiplexers, like the BLM 1500, and optical-network terminals designed for both single-family homes and multi-dwelling units. These products were crucial for deploying fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) networks, allowing clients such as Grande Communications to offer services like 100-megabit-per-second Ethernet.

A key focus for Entrisphere was its Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology, which became essential for delivering high-bandwidth services like high-definition IPTV. The company's GPON solutions were designed to be compliant with both North American and international standards, positioning them for large-scale deployment globally. This technological focus led to a strategic partnership and subsequent acquisition by Ericsson in February 2007. Ericsson acquired Entrisphere to strengthen its fixed broadband portfolio and support its "Full Service Broadband Initiative," which aimed to converge fixed and mobile networks. The acquisition, valued by analysts at between $250 and $300 million, integrated Entrisphere's 140 employees and its GPON expertise into Ericsson's operations.