BISDN

What BISDN does

BISDN GmbH is a Berlin-based, privately held (GmbH) open-source networking company founded in 2012 with 11–50 employees, operating under the tagline "We whitebox networks." The company builds and maintains BISDN Linux, a Yocto-based open-source Network Operating System (NOS) for whitebox switches that integrates the switching ASIC into Linux via the baseboxd SDN controller, exposing switch ports as standard Linux network interfaces controllable with mainstream tooling such as systemd-networkd, FRR, and Ansible.

On top of this NOS, BISDN delivers two access-network solutions: vBNG, a virtual Broadband Network Gateway implementing the Broadband Forum TR-459 control/user plane separation architecture for residential Internet, voice, and IPTV subscriber management; and Cloud-Managed PON, a WireGuard-secured cloud management plane for TiBiT pluggable XGS-PON OLT modules that enables pay-as-you-grow fiber access deployments on standard whitebox switches. The company also provides testing and integration professional services to operators migrating from xDSL/cable to fiber and to small/medium data centers consolidating Linux-based automation across servers and switches.

BISDN monetizes through hardware sales of pre-configured whitebox switches (channel: Stordis GmbH), an XGS-PON OLT Starter Kit listed from €2,999, recurring Cloud-Managed PON subscriptions (after a 3-month free period) and commercial BISDN Linux support contracts with next-business-day response, plus testing/integration services. GTM combines enterprise field sales targeting telecom operators, event-driven demand generation (e.g., fiberdays26), and open-source community-led engagement through GitHub, a baseboxd Slack channel, and a public documentation portal. BISDN is also a sustained participant in EU and national telecom research projects, including collaborations with Deutsche Telekom (KIOps6G), i14y Lab (FRONTRUNNER, ongoing), the Basque Government/EU (XG-BAND), and earlier 5G, multi-operator, and access-network programs dating back to 2015.

Name

BISDN

Legal name

BISDN GmbH

Website

https://bisdn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BISDN GmbH is a Berlin-based open-source networking company that develops BISDN Linux, a whitebox switch Network Operating System, and offers disaggregated access solutions including a TR-459-based vBNG and Cloud-Managed PON with pluggable XGS-PON OLTs, serving telecom operators migrating to fiber and small/medium data centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Operating Systems / Telecom Networking Software

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Service Provider Core Routing (P/Backbone/MPLS) (HDAFABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Center Routing (Core/Border/EVPN) (HDABAFAB), Satellite Broadband Terminals & Gateways (VSAT/LEO CPE) (HDAFAIAM), VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL) (HDAFAFAC)

Keywords

• Whitebox networking
• Network operating system
• Broadband network gateway
• PON management
• Disaggregated networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of whitebox switches pre-installed with BISDN Linux. Switches available through partner Stordis GmbH. Hardware includes temperature-hardened switches for various telecom and data center deployments.
2. Cloud-Managed PON Subscription: Cloud-based PON management subscription following initial 3-month free period. Remote PON management via secure WireGuard tunnels. Subscription covers ongoing cloud software access and updates.
3. Professional Services: Testing and integration services for service providers transitioning to fiber-based access networks. Includes support for hardware acceleration using SmartNICs and whitebox switches, GitOps and infrastructure-as-code deployment.
4. Starter Kit Sales: All-in-one XGS-PON OLT Starter Kit available from 2,999 Euro. Includes Tibit XGS-PON OLT pluggable module, temperature-hardened switch, 10G ONUs, 3-month cloud subscription, and 4-hour support package.
5. Support Contracts: Commercial support contracts for BISDN Linux with developer-led support from the team that built baseboxd. Next business day response, incident tracking with Odoo, available weekdays 9am-5pm CET.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BISDN provides open-source and disaggregated networking components for whitebox switches, ranging from the access network (ONU, Cloud-Managed PON OLTs) to the Broadband Network Gateway (vBNG). Its core product is BISDN Linux, an open-source Network Operating System that exposes switch ports as standard Linux interfaces, supplemented by vBNG (a TR-459-based virtual BNG) and Cloud-Managed PON (cloud-hosted management for pluggable XGS-PON OLTs via WireGuard tunnels). Target customers are telecom service providers and small-to-medium data centers transitioning to fiber-based access networks.

Product overview

BISDN offers a three-product portfolio centered on whitebox network disaggregation for telecom and data center operators. The core platform is BISDN Linux, an open-source Network Operating System for whitebox switches that exposes ports as native Linux interfaces. Two specialized access network solutions build upon or complement this NOS: vBNG (virtual Broadband Network Gateway), implementing BBF TR-459 control/user plane separation for carrier-grade subscriber management; and Cloud-Managed PON, providing cloud-hosted management for pluggable XGS-PON OLT hardware via WireGuard-secured tunnels. The portfolio spans from bare-metal NOS to virtualized network functions and cloud-managed optical access, enabling service providers to deploy fiber-based access networks using standardized, disaggregated components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• vBNG: Virtual Broadband Network Gateway providing access to Internet, Voice, and IPTV services for residential users
• Cloud-Managed PON
• BISDN Linux
• Testing and Integration

Products and services

• BISDN Linux Open-source Network Operating System (NOS) for whitebox switches, based on Yocto Linux. Exposes switch ports as standard Linux network interfaces, enabling native Linux control-plane tools (systemd-networkd, FRR, Ansible) for switch configuration and management. Targets small/medium data centers and telecom network appliances.
• vBNG (virtual Broadband Network Gateway) Virtualized BNG providing access to Internet, Voice, and IPTV services for residential users. Based on BBF TR-459 CUPS (Control/User Plane Separation) architecture with TR-459 control plane and user plane implementations ranging from Xeon SP-based VPP pipelines to Intel P4 programmable ASIC solutions. Targeted at telecom service providers.
• Cloud-Managed PON Cloud-based management platform for pluggable XGS-PON OLTs (Optical Line Termination), specifically the TiBiT I-Temp MicroPlug XGS-PON SFP+ transceivers. Extends pluggable OLT hardware with scalable, remote PON management via secure WireGuard tunnels for plug-and-play operations. Includes 3-month free cloud subscription with Starter Kit.
• XGS-PON OLT Starter Kit Turnkey starter bundle for evaluating and deploying Cloud-Managed PON. Includes 1x TiBiT XGS-PON OLT pluggable SFP+ module, 1x temperature-hardened switch, 2x 10G ONUs, 3-month cloud-managed PON subscription, and a 4-hour support package. Pre-configured for evaluation/testing but suitable for small production deployments.
• Testing and Integration Services Professional services supporting service providers in transformation from traditional xDSL and cable to fiber-based access networks. Includes support for hardware acceleration using SmartNICs and whitebox switches, GitOps and infrastructure-as-code deployment, and integration testing for disaggregated networking components.
• Commercial Support Contracts for BISDN Linux Commercial support contracts for BISDN Linux with developer-led support from the team that built baseboxd. Next business day response, incident tracking with Odoo, available weekdays 9am-5pm CET.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 6000 customers on a single 48-port whitebox switch with total bandwidth up to 480 Gbps
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Broadband Forum (BBF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISDN is an active member of the Broadband Forum and contributes to standardization activities to keep pace with upcoming market trends. Involvement in BBF ensures alignment with latest standards for access networks, including TR-459 for BNG CUPS architecture.
• The Linux FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISDN is a member of the Linux Foundation and actively participates in LF Broadband and DENT projects. Contributing to the development and deployment of open-source solutions for managing and operating access networks.
• Intel Network Builders Winners CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISDN is a member of Intel Network Builders Winners Circle, an ecosystem program for network modernization solution providers.
• TiBiT (tibitcom.com)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with TiBiT to offer fully modular OLT solution where TiBiT pluggable OLTs can be used directly in BISDN Linux enabled switches. TiBiT I-Temp MicroPlug SFP+ transceivers with integrated XGS-PON MAC combined with BISDN Linux management capabilities.
• i14y LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partneri14y Lab provides testing facilities for disaggregated networking components. BISDN contributes AI hardware accelerators, integrates them into Kubernetes, and explores AI training traffic impact on telecom networks within the KIOps6G research project.
• Deutsche TelekomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Telekom leads the KIOps6G research project where BISDN contributes AI hardware accelerators and explores AI for networks and networks for AI. Project builds test environment inside i14y Lab facilities.
• Stordis GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStordis GmbH is an authorized reseller of whitebox switches compatible with BISDN Linux. Customers can purchase pre-configured whitebox switches from Stordis.
• Basque Government / European UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerXG-BAND project (2024) on cloud-native software platform for disaggregated broadband access networks based on XGS-PON technology. Co-funded by Basque Government and EU through European Regional Development Fund.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nokia: Global incumbent selling integrated BNG, routing, and fiber access platforms (e.g., Altiplano, 7750 SR) — the largest competitor BISDN's vBNG must displace in service-provider RFPs.
• Cisco Systems: Dominant incumbent in routing (ASR 9000, Silicon One) and BNG with broad incumbent reach — sets the procurement default against which BISDN's open-source alternative must win.
• Juniper Networks: Major incumbent in BNG (BNG/MX) and broadband subscriber management; competes with BISDN for service-provider access/edge transformation mandates.
• Calix: Broadband access platform vendor (AXOS, Intelligent Access) targeting Tier-2/3 operators — directly competes with BISDN's Cloud-Managed PON/vBNG portfolio for regional broadband operators.

Direct peers

• RtBrick: Disaggregated routing software for whitebox switches serving broadband and ISP networks; competes head-to-head in the BNG/disaggregation narrative around European Tier-2 operators.
• DriveNets: Disaggregated networking software (Network Cloud) for service-provider core and edge routing on whitebox hardware, used by Tier-1 operators; overlapping customer profile and architectural philosophy.
• Edgecore Networks: Whitebox switching hardware vendor whose switches BISDN's NOS targets; an enabling peer sharing the same disaggregated networking ecosystem and go-to-market.
• IP Infusion: Closest direct competitor — provides commercial network operating systems (OcNOS, DANOS-VPP) for whitebox switches and disaggregated routing/BNG deployments by Tier-1 telcos globally.
• Pluribus Networks: Open networking platform for data-center and service-provider switching with Linux-style automation — comparable in offering a unified, open toolchain for switch management.

Emerging players

• Volta Networks: Cloud-native BNG/edge routing platform with overlapping CUPS-based vBNG positioning; smaller but directly addresses the same virtual BNG opportunity BISDN targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/bisdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telekom
• Xx.com/BISDN_GmbH

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BISDN