For years, Metaswitch has been a foundational part of telecom infrastructure—powering networks with session border controllers (Perimeta and, before that, Cisco CUBE), call feature servers, and other application servers. However, Microsoft’s 2020 acquisition left many customers wondering if Metaswitch’s days were numbered. The recent decision to end the MAX UC softclient only heightened suspicions that key products were approaching end-of-life. Microsoft’s mention of 2029 as a “first possible” date for end-of-support added more confusion (Full disclosure: Microsoft is an ECG client).
Numerous companies were bidding to buy Metaswitch assets from Microsoft. With Alianza’s newly announced acquisition of Metaswitch, the outlook has shifted. After speaking with current Metaswitch customers, former Metaswitch leaders, and Alianza executives, it’s clear the status quo isn’t about winding down. Rather, there are indications—especially around products like Perimeta—that Metaswitch could be headed for a revival under new ownership. What does this mean for existing users, and how should operators interpret the shifting timelines?
According to contacts within Alianza, Metaswitch products are not on the verge of being phased out. They report plans to build a dedicated sales and account management team to support and market these offerings. Perimeta, sometimes called Metaswitch’s “crown jewel,” remains deeply embedded in the networks of major operators such as AT&T, Verizon, and Cox Communications—organizations that typically plan for years of use from their SBCs.
Despite the confusion Microsoft never explicitly stated that any Metaswitch product would be withdrawn before 2029 (except the MaX UC client). References to that year seemed more indicative of Microsoft’s lukewarm commitment to telecom than a definitive shutdown date. With the Alianza acquisition, the idea of a forced retirement now appears less likely.
Cisco BroadWorks has gotten the same bad treatment, where competitors love to talk about BroadSoft/BroadWorks EOL. Be ware of any source talking about end-of-life for the general Metaswitch product line.
One telling indicator is the formation of a larger sales team. Alianza says they intend to strengthen client engagement by hiring people with Metaswitch or similar soft-switch backgrounds. Another sign to watch is whether they rebuild a professional services (PS) organization, which would handle integration, virtualization, and other specialized tasks. (ECG has provided network engineering, training, and migration services as a subcontractor for Metaswitch customers.)
If Alianza’s real aim were solely to migrate everyone to a cloud service, they might not need these expanded teams. Operators and perpetual license holders are also not obligated to switch platforms; they can continue running their purchased software. As history has shown—consider legacy Nortel DMS100 systems—carriers can and often do keep legacy equipment running for decades, support contract or not.
Under Microsoft, the Metaswitch brand often seemed adrift, but the products themselves still carried strong industry credibility. Alianza has indicated it will produce a clear roadmap by the second half of 2025, with milestones for maintenance and new feature development. Further, a user forum—potentially in partnership with other vendors—could also signal a renewed focus on Metaswitch’s user community.
Of course, there’s always the question of whether new owners can turn plans into results. Will Alianza’s resources and financing support real investment in products they’ve never handled before, such as TDM switching or mobile solutions? Some observers remain cautious. Execution, more than optimistic talk, will ultimately show whether these products thrive.
Some worry that Alianza’s move might be an attempt to “buy customers” and then funnel them into a single cloud offering. However, my contacts insist the acquisition isn’t about sidelining Metaswitch products in favor of their own hosted services. They point out that Metaswitch still serves a market where many operators haven’t fully transitioned to cloud. Moreover, customers that purchased perpetual licenses are not easily compelled to make abrupt changes; they can run their systems as long as they choose—regardless of whether support contracts are in place.
Alianza may offer incentives for migration to its cloud platform, but fully ending support for on-prem (i.e., in the Central Offices / Data Centers) Metaswitch products would burn bridges with the same operators they hope to keep or attract as cloud clients later on.
Metaswitch’s Rhino Telephony Application Server—often used in mobile environments—offers additional avenues for Alianza to expand. A prime example of this newfound direction is Alianza’s presence at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For the first time, Alianza is an exhibitor in 2025, indicating a stronger push into mobile markets where they previously had limited reach. With Perimeta and Rhino, Alianza will have a lot to offer to the mobile market and to service providers globally.
Across the telecom industry, perpetual licenses are giving way to subscription-based revenue. This trend began with “Telco 2.0,” when VoIP took off, and continues toward “Telco 3.0,” marked by centralized cloud offerings. While perpetual licenses grant operators the freedom to keep running purchased software indefinitely, ongoing security and SIP integration challenges require frequent updates—leading vendors to prefer subscription and support models that provide stable, recurring revenue.
It’s likely that Metaswitch, under Alianza, will follow this path, offering subscription and cloud-based options alongside traditional perpetual licenses. Yet for many operators, a hybrid approach—maintaining on-prem solutions while gradually exploring cloud—remains the most practical.
Ultimately, the proof will come not from big declarations, but from the long-term stability and development of Metaswitch’s products. Alianza’s challenge is to provide credible support and a forward-looking roadmap, rather than pushing everyone into a single model. While the shift in ownership has raised hopes for a “second act” for Metaswitch, the real test will be in how effectively Alianza aligns financing, engineering, and customer needs. If they can deliver on core updates, maintain robust partnerships, and sustain the goodwill Metaswitch built over the years, this acquisition could indeed mark a new chapter—rather than a slow fade.