Mobile giant Verizon has signed a three-year, $25 million deal with Israeli firm Quilt to provide technology to improve the speed of online video content.

Verizon is the largest mobile internet provider in the US.

The deal was signed as viewership of videos over the internet continues to rise. Thousands and even millions of people watch live streams online of shows and events as they happen. Internet service providers struggle to provide enough bandwidth to accommodate the increasing popularity of online videos, especially with the increase in the usage of high definition and 4K resolution monitors. Without enough bandwidth, videos load and buffer more slowly, which can interrupt and disrupt live streams.

Qwilt has developed technologies that enable the streaming of media with short loading times while at the same time using less bandwidth. Verizon, which serves 114 million customers, will use this technology to deliver new applications, such as 4K live video streaming, virtual reality video streaming, and smart vehicle communications.

Quilt's software analyzes where media is being streamed even as it is transmitted from the server to users, allowing for the identification of the most popular videos in each region. Thus, the system automatically stores available copies of relevant videos on neighborhood communication centers in areas where there is high demand for particular videos. This process enables faster access to content for more users while saving the communications operator's bandwidth. The software is managed in the cloud and can operate anywhere in the world.

Lee Hicks, Vice President of Network Planning at Verizon, said: "We invest millions every year to meet growing demand for data and video services across the network. Quilt's solution enables us to meet the goal we set by setting up a smarter, more efficient, and quality network to manage content delivery. So our customers will benefit from streaming better-quality video."

"Our technology enables operators to cope with the dramatic growth in their streaming media, significantly reduce their financial and operational expenses, and meet the requirement to deliver high performance," said Alon Maor, Quilt's CEO and co-founder. "Internet Service Providers (ISP) gain insight into the information gathered about the media consumption, content sources, and content preferences of their customers."

Quilt was established in 2010 by former employees of Cisco and Juniper. The company raised $65 million and operates offices in Israel and the United States.