Marratech

Marratech was a Swedish software company focused on real-time online collaboration and electronic meetings. It originated from research at the Centre for Distance-Spanning Technology at Luleå University of Technology, where a prototype was developed in 1995 within the European Union's Multimedia Assisted Tele-engineering project. The company was formally established in 1998 and developed a product combining group voice communication, multiparty video, interactive whiteboards and instant messaging. The company's early architecture was distinctive for attempting to support serverless operation over IP multicast networks. It later broadened its technical base to accommodate conventional IP unicast as well as multicast, enabling deployment across a wider range of corporate, educational and public-sector networks. Marratech emphasized scalable delivery, bandwidth efficiency, security and support for multiple operating systems. Its system used a client application together with a server component known as Marratech Manager, and supported Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on the client and server sides. Marratech's functionality expanded during the 2000s. In 2004, it added Session Initiation Protocol support for calling IP telephones, fixed telephone lines and mobile phones. In 2005, the platform added H.323 interoperability, allowing communication with established videoconferencing equipment. The same year, Marratech introduced Marratech Free, a freely downloadable edition intended to make online video conversations accessible to a broader audience. Core capabilities included group and private audio, multiparty video, collaborative whiteboarding, instant messaging and encrypted communications. The technical platform also supported H.264 video, bandwidth-saving clusters, IP multicast and unicast, SIP and H.323 connectivity, and end-to-end AES encryption. The software was used or evaluated by organizations in several sectors, including universities, telecommunications and aerospace-related companies, police and military users in Sweden, and international education and public-sector initiatives. One notable 2006 application involved remote wireless eye examinations in rural India, a project associated with the University of California, Berkeley and Intel that used Marratech's videoconferencing technology. Google acquired Marratech's videoconferencing software business in 2007. The acquisition followed Google's growing interest in collaboration and communications software and came in the same period that Cisco acquired WebEx. Financial terms were not publicly disclosed in the cited material. Marratech's engineers and other key personnel moved to Google, and the acquired technology was initially expected to support Google's internal communications, with possible broader product development discussed at the time. The independent Marratech service did not remain active. The company announced in December 2009 that its website would close before the end of that year, and a February 2010 notice stated that its services had been suspended. Marratech is therefore best understood historically as a Swedish videoconferencing and enterprise collaboration brand whose technology and personnel were absorbed by Google rather than as an active standalone software provider.

Marratech emerged from Swedish university research into distributed communication and remote collaboration. Its prototype was created in 1995 as part of the European Union's Multimedia Assisted Tele-engineering project, known as MATES. The work was associated with the Centre for Distance-Spanning Technology at Luleå University of Technology. In 1998, the project became a spin-off company, with Dick Schefström, Peter Parnes, Johnny Widén, Kåre Synnes, Mikael Börjeson, Magnus Hedberg, Serge Lachapelle and Claes Ågren identified among the founders. The first commercial Marratech product was released in November 1998. It combined voice, video, an interactive whiteboard and group instant messaging in a single electronic-meeting environment. The initial implementation depended on IP multicast and used a serverless architecture. Over time, Marratech expanded the platform to support ordinary IP unicast networks as well as multicast deployments. Its networking approach incorporated Scalable Reliable Multicast over the Real-time Transport Protocol, intended to provide reliable and scalable data delivery across different network configurations. During the 2000s, the company broadened the system's interoperability and communications features. SIP support introduced the ability to dial IP telephones, landlines and mobile phones in 2004. H.323 support followed in 2005, allowing users to connect with traditional videoconferencing equipment. Marratech also released Marratech Free in 2005, a freeware version designed to enable online video conversations without the same commercial barrier as the main product. The platform was built for organizations needing more than simple point-to-point video calls. It offered group audio, private audio channels, multiparty video, collaborative whiteboarding and messaging. The technical specification described in reference material included AES end-to-end encryption, H.264 video, cross-platform support for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, bandwidth-saving clusters, and combined multicast and unicast operation. Marratech Manager served as the server-side component in deployments requiring managed infrastructure. The product found use across education, government, telecommunications and other institutional settings. Named users and evaluators included Alcatel Alenia Space, Verizon, the Swedish Police Department, the Swedish Army and universities in several countries. In 2006, Marratech technology supported an initiative involving the University of California, Berkeley and Intel to conduct remote wireless eye examinations in rural India. This application illustrated the company's emphasis on distance-spanning services in environments where specialist access and network efficiency were important. Google acquired Marratech's videoconferencing software business in 2007. The transaction took place during a period of heightened competition and consolidation in online collaboration, shortly after Cisco's acquisition of WebEx. The cited account does not disclose a purchase price. Marratech's engineers and other key personnel moved to Google, and the technology was initially expected to be used for Google's internal staff communications, with broader public-facing development considered possible. The Marratech standalone service later wound down. On December 12, 2009, the company announced that its website would close before the end of that year. On February 19, 2010, a homepage announcement said that all services had been suspended and that the server no longer permitted downloads of the client or server software. Marratech consequently remains a defunct Swedish enterprise collaboration brand, notable for its early work in secure, multiparty and network-efficient videoconferencing and for its absorption into Google.

1. 2010Services suspended

   The company announced that its services had been suspended and that software downloads were no longer available.

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2. 2009Website closure announced

   Marratech announced that its website would close before the end of the year.

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3. 2007Google acquisition

   Google acquired Marratech's videoconferencing software business and brought many of its engineers and key personnel into Google.

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4. 2006Remote eye-examination project in rural India

   Marratech videoconferencing technology was used in an early remote, wireless eye-examination initiative involving Berkeley and Intel.

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5. 2005H.323 interoperability added

   The software gained support for communication with traditional H.323 videoconferencing equipment.

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6. 2005Marratech Free launched

   The company introduced a freeware edition intended to make online video chats broadly accessible.

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7. 2004SIP telephony support introduced

   Marratech added support for dialing IP phones, landlines and mobile phones through the Session Initiation Protocol.

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8. 1998Company founded as a university spin-off

   Marratech was established as a spin-off from the Centre for Distance-Spanning Technology at Luleå University of Technology.

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9. 1998First Marratech product released

   The first release offered group voice, video, whiteboarding and instant messaging, initially using an IP multicast and serverless architecture.

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10. 1995Marratech prototype developed through the MATES project

    A prototype for the later Marratech system was created within the European Union's Multimedia Assisted Tele-engineering project.

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Secure, standards-aware and bandwidth-efficient online meeting software for universities, enterprises and public-sector organizations, differentiated by support for multicast and unicast networking, cross-platform clients, legacy videoconferencing interoperability and collaborative meeting features.

• Marratech MeetingEnterprise web conferencing and videoconferencing1998

  Marratech's principal electronic-meeting environment combined group voice, multiparty video, interactive whiteboarding and instant messaging. It was designed for institutional and enterprise deployments and supported private audio conversations, encrypted communications, cross-platform clients and both multicast and unicast networking. Later versions added SIP and H.323 interoperability, allowing meetings to connect with telephone networks and established videoconferencing equipment.

• Marratech ManagerMeeting server and deployment management

  Marratech Manager was the server-side component used to operate Marratech deployments. It supported managed meeting infrastructure, bandwidth-saving clusters and the platform's broader networking model. The server software was available for multiple operating systems and worked with the client application in organizational environments requiring controlled access and scalable delivery.

• Marratech FreeFreeware video chat2005

  Introduced in 2005, Marratech Free was a downloadable freeware edition intended to let a wider audience host or join online video conversations. It extended awareness of Marratech beyond managed enterprise and university installations, although the standalone offering ultimately became unavailable when Marratech's website and services were shut down.

• 2006Rural India remote eye-examination project

  India

  Marratech supplied videoconferencing technology for an early remote, wireless eye-examination project associated with the University of California, Berkeley and Intel in rural India.

  Outcome. The project demonstrated a practical use of video collaboration for extending specialist medical services to remote communities.

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• 2005Marratech Free availability initiative

  International online users

  Marratech made a freeware edition of its conferencing product available for download, presenting online video chat as a service accessible to users beyond its traditional institutional customer base.

  Outcome. The offering broadened access to the technology, but the service was later discontinued along with the wider Marratech platform.

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• 2009Wind down the standalone Marratech serviceStrategy

  Following Google's acquisition of the software business, Marratech's independent web presence and service were no longer maintained as a standalone operation.

  What changed. Marratech announced that its website would close before the end of 2009.

  Aftermath. In February 2010, Marratech stated that all services had been suspended and that software downloads were no longer available.

  Source
• 2007Sell the videoconferencing software business to GoogleM&A

  Marratech operated in a rapidly consolidating online collaboration market, shortly after Cisco acquired WebEx. Google sought videoconferencing technology and engineering expertise.

  What changed. Google acquired Marratech's videoconferencing software business. Most engineers and other key personnel moved to Google, while the financial terms were not disclosed.

  Aftermath. The technology was initially expected to support Google's internal staff communications. Marratech ceased to operate as an independent software brand and later suspended its services.

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• 2010Marratech suspended its services

  A February 19 homepage notice stated that Marratech had suspended its services and that its software could no longer be downloaded from the server.

  Other
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• 2009Marratech announced the closure of its website

  Marratech announced on December 12 that its website would close before the end of the year as the standalone service approached shutdown.

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• 2007Marratech's videoconferencing software acquired by Google

  Google acquired Marratech's videoconferencing software business and recruited most of its engineers and other key personnel. The financial terms were not disclosed in the cited material.

  M&ALeadership change
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1. Marratech