Open source software vendor Lumina Networks began winding down operations after three years in business, citing an inability to overcome financial headwinds which were exacerbated by the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The company explained that despite widespread operator interest in open source technology, adoption “did not take place at a pace anywhere close to the speed that would enable us to operate and grow our business”, with revenue continuing “to flow to proprietary vendors”.

Covid-19 further impacted its ability to generate revenue, as customers redirected funding for automation projects to bolster existing networks by building new infrastructure.

Lumina Networks spun off from Brocade Communications in August 2017. It offered a range of software-defined networking (SDN) products, including a controller designed to help manage multi-vendor networks. It secured financial backing from Verizon and AT&T, among others, in 2018.

The company said it proved “impossible” to arrange a sale to a traditional network vendor, but added much of its work will “live on” through the OpenDaylight Project and other open source initiatives it was involved in.