Arteria
Arteria is a French wholesale telecom operator and subsidiary of RTE that commercializes dark fiber, managed wavelengths (10G-800G), pylon-based tower hosting, and substation hosting, leveraging the high-voltage electricity grid's 25,000+ km aerial fiber and 70,000+ pylons to serve telecom carriers, cloud providers, and local authorities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLa Défense, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Arteria does
Arteria is a French wholesale telecommunications operator and a wholly-owned subsidiary of RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Électricité), the state-owned manager of France's high-voltage electricity grid. Created in 2002 following French government authorization to leverage the electricity transmission network for broadband, the company commercializes telecom services built on RTE's existing physical infrastructure: approximately 25,000-27,000 km of fiber-optic cables deployed along high-voltage power lines (95% aerial routing), nearly 3,000 electrical substations, and over 70,000 eligible pylons and posts. Operations are headquartered in La Défense (Courbevoie) and span roughly 40 French departments, with cross-border fiber extending into Andorra and overseas-territory fiber reaching French Guiana.
Arteria's technical platform — branded "Air Force WAN" — is a DWDM optical transport network with Nokia PSE coherent optics and P-OTN switching, deployed across ~90 technical sites and capable of record 1 Tb/s transmission over 500 km. The product portfolio has four pillars: (1) Fibre Optique Noire (dark fiber leasing) for telecom operators, local authorities, and enterprises; (2) Fibre Optique Activée / Arteria Waves (activated fiber with managed wavelengths from 10G to 800G, plus Alien Lambda and Spectrum sub-products) for carriers, cloud providers, and large enterprises; (3) Points Hauts (hosting of mobile network antennas on RTE pylons for 4G/5G/IoT); and (4) Hébergement (outdoor cabinets, shelters, and purpose-built hosting at substations targeting edge cloud and regional data centers). Security features include quantum-safe encryption at the optical layer and 24/7 national supervision from a dedicated surveillance center.
The business model is B2B and infrastructure-as-a-service: revenue is generated through recurring subscription, rental, and managed-service contracts priced via custom quote (no public pricing), sold primarily through direct enterprise sales teams to telecom operators (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange, TDF, Andorra Telecom, Axione), government and research networks (RENATER), energy operators (EDF), and French regional and departmental authorities (e.g., Aisne, Morbihan, Corsica, Lozère). Distribution channels combine direct field sales with ecosystem partnerships — notably Nokia as core technology partner and data-center operators (Etix Everywhere, Euclyde, Ikoula, Digital Realty) as Points of Presence hosts — and are reinforced through industry events (Capacity Europe, FRnOG, FRNIX, Network X, IT Partners). Certifiable compliance includes GDPR/RGPD and the French Sapin 2 anti-corruption framework.
Arteria firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Arteria
- Legal name
- ARTERIA
- Website
- https://arteria.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Arteria is a French wholesale telecom operator and subsidiary of RTE that commercializes dark fiber, managed wavelengths (10G-800G), pylon-based tower hosting, and substation hosting, leveraging the high-voltage electricity grid's 25,000+ km aerial fiber and 70,000+ pylons to serve telecom carriers, cloud providers, and local authorities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Arteria industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications Infrastructure Services
- NAICS
- Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711)
- SIC
- Radiotelephone Communications (4812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wholesale Wavelength, Spectrum & Dark Fiber Providers (IRU/Leases) (HDAIALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Real Estate, Leasing & Colocation Management (Landlords/REITs) (HDAIAKAJ), Tower Operations & Maintenance (Field Services) (HDAIAKAF)
Keywords
Where Arteria is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Défense
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Arteria business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Dark Fiber (Fibre Optique Noire): Leasing of unused fiber optic capacity on RTE's transport network to telecom operators, local authorities, and enterprises for their own network infrastructure.
- Activated Fiber Services (Waves/Spectrum): Wavelength services (10G-800G) providing ultra-high bandwidth connectivity with service level agreements. Includes Alien Lambda and Spectrum offerings for enterprise and carrier customers.
- Tower Sites (Points Hauts): Hosting mobile antenna equipment on RTE's 70,000+ pylons and electrical posts for telecom operators (4G/5G, WiMax, TNT, IoT). Revenue from site rental and installation services.
- Hosting Services: Data center hosting solutions including outdoor bays, shelters, and permanent buildings at electrical substations. Supports Edge Cloud and regional data storage/treatment needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom enterprise pricing based on service requirements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Arteria product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arteria is a French telecom operator that sells wholesale telecom infrastructure built on RTE's high-voltage electricity transmission network. It offers four product lines: (1) Dark Fiber (Fibre Optique Noire) leased on 25,000+ km of aerial fiber deployed along power lines, (2) Activated Fiber / Arteria Waves delivering DWDM wavelength services from 10G up to 800G (with a 1Tb/s demonstration), (3) Tower Hosting (Points Hauts) for mobile antennas on 70,000+ RTE pylons, and (4) Edge Hosting (Hébergement) at electrical substations. Customers include telecom operators (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange), cloud providers, and French local authorities.
Product overview
Arteria operates as a telecom operator offering four interconnected core services built on RTE's electricity transmission infrastructure. The product portfolio centers on (1) Fibre Optique Noire - dark fiber for private network connections, (2) Fibre Optique Activée (Arteria Waves) - activated fiber with DWDM wavelength services up to 1Tb/s, (3) Points Hauts - tower/pylon hosting for mobile antennae, and (4) Hébergement - edge data center hosting. The 'Arteria Waves' sub-portfolio includes Alien Lambda and Spectrum offerings. All services leverage RTE's 25,000+ km of aerial fiber and 3,000 electrical substations to provide unique route diversity, low latency, and sovereignty benefits unavailable on traditional terrestrial networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Arteria Waves: Activated fiber optic service offering ultra high bandwidth connections from 10G to 1Tb/s with low latency.
- Air Force WAN
Products and services
- Fibre Optique Noire (Dark Fiber) Leasing of unused fiber optic capacity on RTE's aerial fiber network deployed along high-voltage power lines, enabling telecom operators, local authorities, and enterprises to operate their own private network infrastructure across France with unique route diversity.
- Arteria Waves (Fibre Optique Activée / Activated Fiber Wavelength Services) Activated wavelength and DWDM services offering bandwidth from 10G to 800G (with a record 1Tb/s demonstrated) on the Air Force WAN network. Includes Waves (full managed wavelengths), Alien Lambda (use of customer equipment on Arteria transport), and Spectrum (customer-activated wavelengths over Arteria infrastructure), targeting telecom operators, cloud providers, and large enterprises needing ultra-high-bandwidth transport with low latency and quantum-safe encryption.
- Points Hauts (Tower Infrastructure) Hosting of mobile network antenna equipment (4G/5G, WiMax, TNT, IoT) on RTE's 70,000+ pylons and electrical posts, enabling telecom operators to expand mobile coverage — particularly in rural and underserved areas — without the need to build new towers or undertake new civil works.
- Hébergement (Hosting) Data center and edge cloud hosting solutions provided at RTE electrical substations, including outdoor bays, shelters, and permanent buildings, supporting regional data storage/processing and Edge Cloud needs for cloud providers, enterprises, and local authorities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 Tb/s transmission over 500+ km between Lyon and Toulouse
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Arteria
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Arteria technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Arteria partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- Digital RealtyminorEvent partnership for FRNIX aPEERo 025 in Marseille. Digital Realty hosts the event at MRS3 data center, with Arteria as supporting partner for the peering and interconnection community event.
- IkoulaflagshipStrategic partnership to enhance data center resilience. Arteria provides access to Air Force WAN network and wavelength services (10G-800G) from Ikoula's Reims data center (IKDC1). First PoP of Arteria's network in the Marne region, providing diversified connectivity for Ikoula's cloud infrastructure with new link between Reims and Paris.
- EuclydecorePartnership for inauguration of Arteria's Lyon POP at Euclyde DC5 data center. First regional Point of Presence in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, offering aerial route diversity for DWDM long-distance networks.
- NokiacoreStrategic partnership for deploying Air Force WAN optical network using Nokia's DWDM technology, P-OTN switching platforms, and PSE coherent optics. Nokia provides equipment for ~90 technical sites enabling the national network loop with services from 10G to 800G (demonstrated up to 1Tb/s).
- Etix EverywherecorePartnership for inaugural Lille-Paris ultra-high-speed link at ETIX Lille #1 data center. Etix provides Point of Presence for Arteria's first regional POP in Northern France for Arteria Waves DWDM services.
- Layer1 (Laurent Guiraud)minorExpert consultation for Lille-Paris inauguration event. Laurent Guiraud, Founder of Layer1 and Optical Transmission Expert, provided insights on challenges for optimal long-distance network performance.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Arteria competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Axione: French public-initiative network operator and infrastructure builder for territorial connectivity, working with regional councils. Both partner with French collectivities to deliver fiber coverage; functional overlap with Arteria's PIN/smart-village project work.
- Sipartech: French wholesale dark fiber and wavelength carrier serving operators, OTTs, and enterprises, with its own fiber backbone. Direct overlap with Arteria's Fibre Optique Noire and Arteria Waves services in France.
- Colt Technology Services: European B2B fiber operator providing wavelength and high-bandwidth enterprise services similar to Arteria Waves. Comparable in service mix (lit fiber, wavelengths, low-latency routes) and customer base (carriers, enterprises, cloud providers).
- Zayo Group: Pan-European and North American wholesale fiber operator offering dark fiber, wavelengths, and spectrum services to carriers and enterprises. Closely comparable to Arteria's activated fiber and wavelength products at the wholesale carrier-to-carrier level.
- TDF (TDF SAS): French operator of tower and broadcast infrastructure that hosts mobile and broadcast antennas, similar to Arteria's Points Hauts business. Both monetize passive infrastructure (towers/pylons) for MNOs and broadcasters under long-term lease arrangements in France.
Broad incumbents
- Cellnex Telecom: Europe's largest independent tower operator with a multi-country passive-infrastructure portfolio (DAS, towers). Comparable to Arteria's tower/pylon hosting in that both lease passive sites to MNOs; Cellnex is much larger and geographic-diversified while Arteria is France-only.
Others
- Interxion / Digital Realty: European data center operator; partner on Marseille peering event (FRNIX aPEERo). Interconnect and hosting adjacency to Arteria's hosting and POP strategy.
- Etix Everywhere: European edge data center operator; partners with Arteria for POPs at ETIX Lille. Comparable in the hosting/edge segment Arteria addresses at its electrical substations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Arteria social profiles
Digital presenceArteria compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Arteria financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Arteria leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Arteria funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Arteria M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Arteria
What does Arteria do?
Arteria is a French telecom operator that sells wholesale telecom infrastructure built on RTE's high-voltage electricity transmission network. It offers four product lines: (1) Dark Fiber (Fibre Optique Noire) leased on 25,000+ km of aerial fiber deployed along power lines, (2) Activated Fiber / Arteria Waves delivering DWDM wavelength services from 10G up to 800G (with a 1Tb/s demonstration), (3) Tower Hosting (Points Hauts) for mobile antennas on 70,000+ RTE pylons, and (4) Edge Hosting (Hébergement) at electrical substations. Customers include telecom operators (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange), cloud providers, and French local authorities.
Is Arteria a public or private company?
Arteria is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Arteria founded?
Arteria was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Arteria based?
Arteria is headquartered in La Défense, France, in the Europe region.
How does Arteria make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dark Fiber (Fibre Optique Noire) is the primary driver. The others are activated Fiber Services (Waves/Spectrum), tower Sites (Points Hauts) and hosting Services.
Who are Arteria's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Axione, Sipartech, Colt Technology Services, Zayo Group and TDF (TDF SAS). Cellnex Telecom is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Interxion / Digital Realty and Etix Everywhere.
Does Arteria have an API?
No public API is recorded for Arteria.
What industry is Arteria in?
Arteria's product category is Telecommunications Infrastructure Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIALAI, Wholesale Wavelength, Spectrum & Dark Fiber Providers (IRU/Leases), with a secondary code of HDAIAKAJ, Real Estate, Leasing & Colocation Management (Landlords/REITs). Its NAICS code is 51711 and its SIC code is 4812.