Easynet was once a leading name in the telecommunications and internet service industry, particularly within the United Kingdom and Europe. For many years, it served as a primary provider of managed network services, hosting, and cloud integration for businesses of all sizes. If you are searching for Easynet company information today, you are likely looking for its history, what happened to the brand, or how to access support for legacy services.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of Easynet. We will explore its founding, the major milestones in its corporate journey, the services it traditionally offered, and where the company stands today following several high-profile acquisitions. Whether you are a former customer or a researcher, this guide offers the straightforward answers you need.
What Was Easynet?
Easynet was an international managed service provider that specialized in helping businesses connect to the internet and to each other. Founded in the mid-1990s, it quickly grew to become one of the most significant players in the European technology sector. Unlike many providers that focused on home users, Easynet primarily targeted the business-to-business (B2B) market.
The company was known for its robust infrastructure. It owned and operated its own network, which allowed it to provide high-quality connections with greater control over performance and security. Over time, Easynet expanded its reach beyond the UK, establishing a presence in countries like France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.
A Brief History of Easynet
To understand Easynet today, it is helpful to look at its timeline. The company underwent several major changes in ownership, which eventually led to the brand being integrated into larger global corporations.
- 1994: Easynet was founded in the UK, during the early days of the commercial internet.
- 1996: The company listed on the London Stock Exchange, marking its growth as a major public entity.
- 2001: Easynet acquired several European service providers, expanding its footprint across the continent.
- 2005: British Sky Broadcasting (Sky) acquired Easynet for approximately £211 million. Sky’s primary interest was using Easynet’s network to launch its own consumer broadband service.
- 2010: Sky sold the business-focused division of Easynet to LDC (the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group), while retaining the network assets it needed for consumer broadband.
- 2013: Easynet merged with MDNX, a leading independent carrier-neutral network integrator in the UK.
- 2015: The company was eventually acquired by Interoute, another major European telecommunications provider.
What Happened to Easynet?
If you are looking for the Easynet website or office today, you may find that the brand has largely disappeared. This is because of the final stages of its corporate evolution. After Interoute acquired Easynet in 2015, the two companies began to merge their operations and branding.
In 2018, Interoute (including the former Easynet business) was acquired by GTT Communications, a global cloud networking provider based in the United States. As a result, most of Easynet’s original services, infrastructure, and customers are now managed by GTT Communications. The “Easynet” name is rarely used in a commercial capacity today, as it has been fully integrated into the GTT brand.
Key Services Traditionally Offered by Easynet
During its peak, Easynet was recognized for a wide range of technical services. Understanding these services helps explain why the company was so valuable to its many corporate clients.
Managed Network Services
Easynet provided businesses with wide area networks (WANs). This allowed companies with multiple office locations to stay connected on a single, private, and secure network. They were early adopters of technologies like MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), which helps direct data efficiently across a network.
Internet Connectivity
As an Internet Service Provider (ISP), Easynet offered high-speed leased lines and business-grade broadband. They were one of the first companies in the UK to invest in “Local Loop Unbundling” (LLU). This meant they placed their own equipment in BT telephone exchanges, giving them more control over the speed and quality of the internet they provided to customers.
Hosting and Data Centers
Easynet operated several high-security data centers. Businesses would rent space in these centers to house their servers and data. This ensured that their digital operations were kept in a temperature-controlled environment with backup power and high-speed connectivity.
Unified Communications
The company also offered tools for business communication, such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and video conferencing. These services helped companies reduce their phone bills and collaborate more effectively over long distances.
How to Find Support for Easynet Services
If you are a legacy customer or have an old account that was originally with Easynet, you may be wondering how to get help. Since the company is now part of GTT Communications, your primary point of contact will be GTT.
To find support, you should follow these steps:
- Visit the GTT Website: Go to the official GTT Communications website. They have a dedicated support section for existing customers.
- Check Your Billing: Look at your most recent invoices. They should have transitioned to GTT branding, and they will contain specific account numbers and contact details for your region.
- Use the GTT Client Portal: Most former Easynet business accounts have been migrated to the GTT EtherVision portal. This is where you can manage your services and open support tickets.
- Search for Regional Offices: If you are in Europe, GTT maintains many of the original offices and data centers that were once part of the Easynet and Interoute networks.
Why Easynet Was Important to the Industry
Easynet played a crucial role in the development of the UK’s digital infrastructure. By investing in its own network equipment (LLU), it provided much-needed competition to BT. This competition helped drive down prices for business broadband and pushed the industry to offer faster, more reliable speeds.
The company was also a pioneer in managed services. It helped shift the idea of an ISP from just a “dumb pipe” provider to a strategic partner that helped businesses manage their entire IT and communications stack. Many professionals who worked at Easynet went on to lead other major technology firms, leaving a lasting legacy in the UK tech scene.
Summary of Easynet Company Information
While Easynet is no longer an independent brand, its impact on the telecommunications landscape is still felt today. It transitioned from an independent UK startup to a key component of a global networking giant. For those seeking current information, GTT Communications is now the entity responsible for the infrastructure and clients once managed by Easynet.
We hope this guide has clarified the history and current status of Easynet. If you are looking for more information on technology providers or how to navigate corporate transitions, feel free to explore our other articles on SearchAndHelp.com. We are here to provide simple, reliable answers to all your everyday questions.