AlefEdge is bringing its Software-Defined Mobile Edge (SD-ME) platform to Vapor IO’s Kinetic Edge platform, the companies announced today.

The combination of Vapor IO’s interconnection technology with AlefEdge’s mobile edge computing software for enterprises forms an infrastructure that supports enterprise requirements for low latency and high bandwidth riding on top of private wireless networks, the companies claim.

The deployment, which debuted in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, will eventually reach a nationwide scale but not until Vapor IO completes its colocation installations around the country. Vapor IO is currently available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Pittsburgh.

It expects to reach 36 cities with multiple edge computing locations in each market by the end of 2021 with a footprint that will reach up to 70% of the U.S. population, according to Vapor IO CEO Cole Crawford.

“We have another 25 markets on track to complete construction by the end of Q4 2020 and the remaining seven markets will reach that point in early 2021,” Cole wrote in an email response to questions. Vapor IO previously released the full list of markets it plans to reach, but Cole declined to indicate which cities will be up and running next, pointing to a partial dependency on customer deployments.

AlefEdge says its SD-ME platform “creates a 5G-like experience without the expense of complexity of 5G” by using enterprise’s existing networks. It includes a programmable toolkit for developers that want to program the network layer via APIs and software development kits, enabling edge peering and orchestration.

“A programmable mobile edge has been out of reach for most of today’s enterprises because of the complexity of both deployment and application development,” AlefEdge CEO Ganesh Sundaram said in a statement. “Our services allow enterprises to leverage shared resources while maintaining the benefits of on-prem IT without the overhead of on-site management.”

Cole described the partnership with AlefEdge in terms of business enablement wherein expanded opportunities for AlefEdge within enterprise will increase the vendor’s demand for service on Vapor IO’s Kinetic Edge platform.

“We continue to be focused on making our Kinetic Edge the carrier-neutral bridge between edge and the cloud, enabling low-cost edge computing at scale,” he said. Customers will continue to work directly with AlefEdge or systems integrators.

“Vapor IO’s Kinetic Edge is an enabling technology but largely invisible to the end customer,” Cole explained.

Earlier this summer, Vapor IO expanded a partnership with Digital Realty to make its Kinetic Edge platform available in Digital Realty’s colocation facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas. The companies also plan to eventually deploy the Kinetic Edge technology in all of Digital Realty’s U.S. colocation facilities. 

Vapor IO raised $90 million earlier this year in a Series C funding round to build and deploy its edge computing network.