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EdgeMicro’s 2017 plan was to place small, carrier-neutral data-center modules beside cell towers, so content and computing capacity could sit closer to mobile users. Each proposed module was described as supporting up to six racks, with a 48 kW figure used for the facility’s capacity. The company also described a network appliance for routing requests to locally available content. Contemporary reports later documented Denver test-lab and proof-of-concept activity, but they do not establish that EdgeMicro built a broad network, achieved specific performance gains, or still offers the service today.
What did EdgeMicro mean by 48 kW?
The figure referred to a compact, prefabricated data-center module—not a single server or a consumer device. The sources describe capacity in different ways, so the numbers should not be treated as interchangeable engineering measures.
| Reported measure | What the source said | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Up to six racks, roughly 6–8 kW per rack | Data Center Knowledge, 2017 | Reported design description; per-rack figure. |
| 48 kW of critical load | EdgeMicro, 2018 | Company announcement describing its prefabricated 8/20 module. |
| 48 kW across six racks | Data Center Dynamics, 2019-era report | Description of the Denver facility. |
These are reported design figures, not independently audited performance results. “Critical load,” “IT capacity,” and a per-rack figure describe different aspects of a facility; the reports do not establish that they use the same measurement basis.
Why put colocation capacity beside a cell tower?
Traditional data centers can be far from the mobile users requesting content or running applications. EdgeMicro’s proposal was to locate computing and caching capacity near cell towers, giving content providers a place to serve some requests locally rather than sending every request to a more distant facility over the conventional network. The intended customers included content providers and other organizations seeking local capacity; mobile network operators and tower owners were part of the proposed ecosystem.
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That was the company’s value proposition, not a demonstrated outcome. The 2017 account supplied no independently measured latency improvement, backhaul savings, reduction in customer churn, or operating economics.
How was the local-routing appliance supposed to work?
TTX in the 2017 account
Data Center Knowledge called EdgeMicro’s proprietary appliance Tower Traffic Xchange (TTX) and described it as a single-box Local IP Access solution. Co-founder Greg Pettine said it would check whether requested content was available locally and retrieve it there when possible; otherwise, the request would continue over the conventional network. The report said TTX was still undergoing lab testing when published in 2017. Data Center Knowledge’s 2017 report
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ETX in the Denver report
A later Data Center Dynamics report used the name Edge Traffic Exchange (ETX) for a proprietary solution used to manage the Denver deployment remotely. The reporting uses different names and descriptions; it does not establish that TTX and ETX were the same device or product version. Data Center Dynamics’ Denver report
Who was meant to pay, and who was involved?
The proposed commercial model was to charge content providers for colocation, while mobile network operators could access nearby capacity and potential network benefits. Netflix and Amazon were mentioned in the 2017 report as examples of prospective customers—not as confirmed EdgeMicro customers. Pettine described the expected demand this way: “Our focus is to just spread that out. As they expand – Netflix, Amazon, any of them – they will need to put more capacity in multiple markets in the next 12 months.”
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The plan also relied on infrastructure and platform relationships. In a 2018 announcement, EdgeMicro named Compass Edge Solutions’ BitBox management platform. Data Center Frontier described Schneider Electric as a manufacturing partner and a source of equipment and operating support for the plan. These are dated reported relationships, not evidence of current partnerships. EdgeMicro’s 2018 module announcement Data Center Frontier’s report on the Schneider Electric relationship
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was actually reported about deployment?
The 2017 report described site selection as a bottleneck, TTX lab testing, and a planned proof of concept. A later report described an EdgeMicro test lab in Denver and a no-cost proof-of-concept offer for edge applications. CEO Mike Hagan said, “We believe our no-cost Proof of Concept program is the solution.” The same report quoted him describing the company’s aim: “Our company’s mission is to solve problems for and deliver benefit to all organizations seeking success at the edge.”
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This is evidence of announced testing and proof-of-concept activity during the period covered by those reports. It does not establish broad commercial deployment, measured results, EdgeMicro’s present status, or current availability of the service. Historical fundraising targets, site counts, unit-cost estimates, and revenue assumptions discussed in 2017 were forecasts or estimates, not verified current prices or achieved results.
What the proposal does—and does not—tell a reader
EdgeMicro’s plan illustrates one approach to edge colocation: modular capacity near network infrastructure, with local routing intended to keep some traffic closer to users. Its feasibility would depend on practical questions the historical reports do not answer with comparable measurements, including where modules could be sited, how they connect to operator networks, how power and cooling are maintained, and how capital and operating costs are divided among participants. The reported 48 kW design alone cannot establish whether the approach was faster, cheaper, or more reliable than other infrastructure options.
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