Photonics Bretagne
Photonics Bretagne is a French photonics innovation hub and technology platform producing specialty optical fibres and precision components, serving a 120+ member network across telecom, sensing, lasers, and biophotonics applications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLannion, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Photonics Bretagne does
Photonics Bretagne is a French photonics innovation hub headquartered at Photonics Park in Lannion, Brittany. Founded in 2003, the company operates as a hybrid technology platform and industry cluster, serving a network of 120+ members across consulting, industry, education, and research with a focus on specialty optical fibres and precision photonic components. Its customer base spans fibre optics, lasers, telecommunications, measurement systems, and biophotonics applications, ranging from start-ups to large corporations in Brittany and internationally.
Core capabilities centre on the design, drawing, and characterization of specialty optical fibres, including solid-core photonic crystal fibres (PCF), hollow-core PCF, active doped fibres (ytterbium, bismuth), multicore fibres (2, 7, and 12-core variants), and metal-coated (aluminum) fibres for harsh environments. The portfolio also includes precision components — high-tolerance capillaries, boron-doped stress rods for polarization-maintaining fibres, and a proprietary draw tower Bragg grating process that inscribes FBG arrays during the fibre drawing stage to preserve mechanical strength while enabling customizable sensor lengths up to 2km. Biophotonics engineering services extend the offering into agriculture, agrifood, biomedical, and environmental sensing projects, including the One-Pix hyperspectral imaging kit.
The business model combines hardware sales (specialty fibres and components via direct sales and the Exail e-commerce storefront) with professional services revenue from R&D project engineering, continuing education and training, and sector coordination activities. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct contact and specification sheets. Strategic and financial support is drawn from the European Union, the French State via the France 2030 programme, and the Brittany Region, with operational coordination through partners such as Technopole Anticipa and Oxxius.
Photonics Bretagne firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Photonics Bretagne
- Legal name
- Photonics Bretagne
- Website
- https://photonics-bretagne.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Photonics Bretagne is a French photonics innovation hub and technology platform producing specialty optical fibres and precision components, serving a 120+ member network across telecom, sensing, lasers, and biophotonics applications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Photonics Bretagne industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Optical Fibers and Photonics Components
- NAICS
- Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing (335921)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fiber Optic Cabling (Singlemode/Multimode) (HDAFALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Data, Communications & Fiber Optic Cable (IMADAMAD), Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM), Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG)
Keywords
Where Photonics Bretagne is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lannion
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Photonics Bretagne business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Technical Services and Products: Sale of specialty optical fibres, components, and technical services including characterization, modeling, and design services.
- Training and Education: Customized continuing education programs, promotion of photonics, and links between schools, HE institutions, and companies.
- Sector Coordination and Membership: Cluster activities including sector coordination, networking events, technology watch, and support for members' economic development.
- R&D Projects: Collaborative R&D project engineering and execution in fibres, components, and biophotonics areas.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Photonics Bretagne product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Photonics Bretagne manufactures and supplies specialty optical fibres and precision photonic components, including multicore fibres, metal-coated fibres, photonic crystal fibres, active doped fibres, capillaries, boron-doped stress rods, and draw tower Bragg gratings. It also delivers biophotonics engineering services, technical services (characterization, modelling, design), R&D project execution, and cluster coordination/continuing education for the Breton photonics ecosystem.
Product overview
Photonics Bretagne is a photonics innovation hub offering a portfolio of specialized optical fibres and components. The product portfolio includes optical fibres (such as multicore fibres, metal-coated fibres, supercontinuum fibres, endlessly single-mode fibres, photonic bandgap fibres, anti-resonant fibres, and active doped fibres) and precision components (including capillaries, boron-doped stress rods, and draw tower Bragg gratings). The company also provides biophotonics engineering services and training programs, positioning itself as both a technology platform and cluster organization serving the Breton photonics industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Capillaries High precision capillaries drawn to meet exacting dimensional needs, available in a wide range of diameters with tight tolerances, including non-circular tubes and rods. Used for combiners and biophotonics applications.
- Boron-Doped Stress Rods High precision stress rods manufactured with high boron concentration and tight geometric tolerance, designed for use in polarisation maintaining fibres.
- Draw Tower Bragg Gratings Fibre Bragg Grating arrays inscribed in the fibre directly during the draw process, preserving mechanical strength. Used as temperature and strain sensors, for shape sensing, and for structural health monitoring. Customizable FBG length (1 to 10 mm), spacing (from 100 µm to more than 1 m), and sensor length up to 2 km.
- Aluminum Coated Fibres (AL) Metal-coated silica fibres offering higher mechanical and chemical robustness than polymer-coated fibres, designed for harsh environment conditions including high temperature and radiation environments.
- Multicore Fibres (MCF) Doped silica multicore fibres integrating 2, 7, or 12 cores, suited for telecom (space multiplexing and amplifiers), sensing (structural health monitoring and shape sensing), and high-intensity lasers.
- Specialty Optical Fibres Portfolio Family of specialty optical fibres covering solid-core photonic crystal fibres, hollow-core photonic crystal fibres, active rare-earth-doped fibres, multicore fibres, and metal-coated fibres for sensing, telecom, laser, and harsh-environment applications.
- Biophotonics Engineering Services Project engineering, proof of concept, sensor development, and qualification services for biophotonics applications in agriculture, agrifood, biomedical, and environmental sectors.
- Photonics Technical Services Technical services for fibres and components including characterization, modelling, and design to support customer development and qualification activities.
Companies that use Photonics Bretagne
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Photonics Bretagne technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Photonics Bretagne partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- OxxiusminorPhotonics company jointly visited with sub-prefect of Lannion as part of France 2030 programme activities. Located in Lannion area.
- Technopole AnticipacoreTechnology park organization that co-visited Photonics Bretagne and Oxxius facilities with sub-prefect of Lannion to discuss photonics industry challenges.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Photonics Bretagne competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ID Quantique: Quantum photonics company using specialty fibres and single-photon detectors for quantum communications. Adjacent buyer and ecosystem participant in the same European photonics community that Photonics Bretagne serves.
- GLOphotonics: French specialist in hollow-core photonic crystal fibre and gas-filled fibre technology. Directly comparable on hollow-core PCF, an emerging specialty category where Photonics Bretagne also competes.
- PhotonDelta: Dutch integrated photonics innovation hub and cluster organisation. Comparable as a European photonics cluster/economic-development entity, though focused on integrated photonics rather than specialty fibres.
Direct peers
- Exail (formerly iXblue): French specialty fibre, laser, and photonics component manufacturer that shares both technology overlap (specialty fibres, photonics components) and a commercial relationship with Photonics Bretagne — Photonics Bretagne's fibres are listed for sale on the Exail e-store. Most directly comparable peer given geographic and product overlap.
- Fibercore (a Coherent company): Specialty fibre manufacturer focused on polarisation-maintaining, rare-earth-doped, and photosensitive fibres for sensing, telecom and laser applications. Closely comparable in fibre types offered, with substantially larger scale post-Coherent acquisition.
- Le Verre Fluoré: French specialty fluoride-glass and silica fibre manufacturer serving mid-IR, supercontinuum, and sensing applications. Comparable French specialty fibre peer competing in adjacent wavelength and material spaces.
- NKT Photonics: Danish specialty optical fibre manufacturer with deep portfolios in photonic crystal fibres, active fibres, and supercontinuum sources. Directly competes with Photonics Bretagne across PCF, hollow-core, and doped fibre categories serving laser and sensing customers.
Broad incumbents
- Thorlabs: Broadline photonics components and systems supplier offering specialty fibres, FBGs, and optical components alongside an extensive catalogue. Competes with Photonics Bretagne components business and is a reference incumbent for photonics R&D buyers.
- Coherent Corp: Global photonics and specialty fibre conglomerate (parent of Fibercore and OFS-related assets). Overlaps with Photonics Bretagne across lasers, specialty fibres, and sensing components as a broad incumbent.
- OFS Optics (a Furukawa company): Major specialty and telecom optical fibre manufacturer offering multicore, polarisation-maintaining, and metal-coated fibres. Overlaps with Photonics Bretagne's multicore and metal-coated product lines but at significantly greater scale and global reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Photonics Bretagne social profiles
Digital presencePhotonics Bretagne financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Photonics Bretagne leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Photonics Bretagne funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Photonics Bretagne 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 Photonics Bretagne
What does Photonics Bretagne do?
Photonics Bretagne manufactures and supplies specialty optical fibres and precision photonic components, including multicore fibres, metal-coated fibres, photonic crystal fibres, active doped fibres, capillaries, boron-doped stress rods, and draw tower Bragg gratings. It also delivers biophotonics engineering services, technical services (characterization, modelling, design), R&D project execution, and cluster coordination/continuing education for the Breton photonics ecosystem.
Is Photonics Bretagne a public or private company?
Photonics Bretagne is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Photonics Bretagne founded?
Photonics Bretagne was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Photonics Bretagne based?
Photonics Bretagne is headquartered in Lannion, France, in the Europe region.
How does Photonics Bretagne make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Technical Services and Products are the primary driver. The others are training and Education, sector Coordination and Membership and R&D Projects.
Who are Photonics Bretagne's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are ID Quantique, GLOphotonics and PhotonDelta. Direct peers are Exail (formerly iXblue), Fibercore (a Coherent company), Le Verre Fluoré and NKT Photonics. Broad incumbents are Thorlabs, Coherent Corp and OFS Optics (a Furukawa company).
Does Photonics Bretagne have an API?
No public API is recorded for Photonics Bretagne.
What industry is Photonics Bretagne in?
Photonics Bretagne's product category is Specialty Optical Fibers and Photonics Components. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFALAB, Fiber Optic Cabling (Singlemode/Multimode), with a secondary code of IMADAMAD, Data, Communications & Fiber Optic Cable. Its NAICS code is 335921 and its SIC code is 3827.