Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya

What Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya does

Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya (operating as XOC) is a neutral wholesale fiber optic telecommunications operator based in Barcelona, Spain, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tradia within the Cellnex Group. Founded in 2011 to operate a 20-year concession awarded by CTTI (the Generalitat de Catalunya's telecommunications entity), the company builds, maintains, and commercializes a regional fiber optic network that connects 745 government sites and sells surplus capacity to the wholesale telecom market under principles of neutrality, transparency, and pricing homogeneity.

The company's product portfolio comprises six core services delivered over 4,635 km of fiber, 69 network nodes, and 15 connected data centers across 483 municipalities: active Ethernet circuits (30Mbps-10Gbps with 100% bandwidth guarantee), transparent optical services (10Gb/100Gb wavelengths), dark fiber rental (urban, interurban, and 15-year IRU modalities), colocation services, rural Ethernet for municipalities under 1,000 inhabitants, and dark fiber expansion for small municipalities. The underlying technology stack includes Carrier Ethernet equipment, MPLS networks, proprietary micro-trench (Microzanja) construction methods that reduce urban civil works cost, WoneWatch passive network supervision, and Systam DCIM systems. Service-level commitments range from 99.50% to 99.95% monthly availability with 24/7 NOC support.

Revenue is generated through recurring monthly and annual subscriptions sold exclusively to other telecommunications operators (146 active partners, 933 wholesale services) and the Generalitat de Catalunya managed services contract. Pricing is publicly disclosed, distance-independent, and governed by CNMC regulatory oversight with EU state aid approval. The company holds ISO 9001, 14001, 14064, 45001, 27001, 50001, 20000-1, and Spain's ENS certifications. Geographic scope is exclusively Catalonia, and the company's concession expires in 2030.

Name

Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya

Legal name

XARXA OBERTA, DE COMUNICACIO I TECNOLOGIA DE CATALUNYA, S.A.U.

Website

https://xarxaoberta.cat

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya is a neutral wholesale fiber optic operator in Catalonia, Spain, operating 4,635 km of fiber under a 20-year government concession (through 2030) to connect 745 Generalitat de Catalunya sites while selling surplus capacity to 146 telecom operators across 483 municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Fiber Optic Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Neutral-Host Fiber & Shared Access Network Operators (HDAIACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Terrestrial Long-Haul Fiber Backbone Operators (Intercity/Interstate) (HDAIALAG), Subsea & Terrestrial Backhaul to Data Centers and Cloud On-Ramps (IX/DC Interconnect) (HDAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Wholesale fiber services
• Fiber optic connectivity
• Dark fiber rental
• Carrier ethernet services
• Telecom infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Connectivity Services: Xarxa Oberta operates as a neutral wholesale operator, providing fiber optic connectivity services exclusively to other telecommunications operators. The company rents excess network capacity to the wholesale market, with pricing governed by neutrality, transparency, and homogeneity criteria under CNMC regulatory norms.
2. Government Connectivity Contract: Concession from the Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació (CTTI) of the Generalitat de Catalunya to provide connectivity to 745 government sites, with a 20-year concession period awarded in 2010.
3. Ethernet Services: Point-to-point Ethernet services ranging from 30Mbps to 10Gbps with 100% end-to-end bandwidth guarantee. Services include managed CPE options, service aggregation on same interface, and point-to-multipoint configuration.
4. Transparent Optical Services: Dedicated circuit segments between two network locations through optical equipment, supporting wavelengths at 10Gb and 100Gb speeds, with optional optical ring protection.
5. Dark Fiber Rental: Rental of one or more optical fibers between two network locations. Available in three modalities: Urban (within same municipality), Interurban (between different municipalities), and IRU (Indefeasible Right of Use) long-term contracts of 15 years.
6. Colocation Services: Rental of communication racks or shared rack spaces in network locations where operator interconnection occurs. Options include dedicated standalone racks, shared standalone racks, dedicated with services, and shared with services configurations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya operates as a neutral wholesale fiber optic telecommunications operator, providing connectivity services exclusively to other telecom operators and the Generalitat de Catalunya government. Its core offerings include point-to-point Ethernet circuits (30Mb–10Gb), Optical Transparent wavelengths (10Gb/100Gb), Dark Fiber rental, Colocation at network nodes, Rural Ethernet services, and Dark Fiber Expansion extensions, all delivered over a 4,635 km open-access fiber network spanning 483 municipalities in Catalonia.

Product overview

Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya operates as a wholesale telecommunications operator providing a unified fiber optic network infrastructure portfolio consisting of six core services: Circuits Actius (Ethernet services ranging 30Mb-5Gb), Servei Transparent (optical wavelengths at 10Gb/100Gb), Fibra Fosca (dark fiber in Urban/Interurban/IRU modalities), Coubicació (colocation/rack rental), Servei Rural (rural connectivity for small municipalities), and Fibra Fosca Expansió (fiber extensions from existing services). These services are delivered over a neutral, open-access fiber network spanning 483 municipalities across Catalonia, serving both the regional government (Generalitat de Catalunya) and wholesale telecommunications operators under principles of equality, transparency, and price homogeneity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circuits Actius (Serveis Ethernet) Point-to-Point Ethernet connectivity services with guaranteed bandwidth from 30Mbps to 10Gbps, featuring 100% end-to-end bandwidth guarantees, managed CPE options, service aggregation, protected dual interconnection points, and optional Escalado 95 (95 Scaling) bursting up to 1Gbps. Sold exclusively wholesale to telecom operators.
• Servei Transparent (Optical Transparent Service) Dedicated optical circuit service between two network points using optical equipment, supporting wavelengths of 10Gb and 100Gb, with optional optical ring protection. Supports fiber channel, OTN, SONET, and SDH interface options for wholesale operators.
• Fibra Fosca (Dark Fiber) Optical fiber rental service based on ITU-T G.652.D fiber characteristics, available in three modalities: Urban (within municipal boundaries), Interurban (between different municipalities), and IRU (15-year Indefeasible Right of Use long-term contracts). Service availability 99.50%/month.
• Coubicació (Colocation) Rack space rental at Xarxa Oberta network nodes, available as dedicated or shared racks, with or without power services (AC and DC up to 2,000W). Designed for wholesale operators interconnecting or receiving connectivity services at network nodes.
• Servei Rural (Rural Ethernet Service) Active Ethernet service for rural areas based on the Escalat 95 catalog service, offering bandwidth from 20Mbps to 80Mbps with burst capacity up to 1Gbps, targeting municipalities with populations under 1,000 inhabitants. Service availability 99.73%/month, minimum 12-month permanence.
• Fibra Fosca Expansió (Dark Fiber Expansion) Extension fiber service for connecting new points from existing customer services (connectivity or dark fiber), limited to under 20km length and targeting municipalities with populations under 5,000 inhabitants. Requires existing customer service and cannot chain two expansion fibers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% end-to-end bandwidth guarantee on all Ethernet services
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, historical and minor.

• Tradia (Cellnex Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Tradia, a company of the Cellnex Group, acquired 100% control and management of Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya in 2018 through an agreement with Imagina Media Audiovisual (Grup Mediapro). Cellnex is Europe's largest operator of telecommunications towers and infrastructure, managing a portfolio of over 130,000 sites across 10 European countries.
• CTTI (Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTTI is the government entity that awarded the 20-year concession to Xarxa Oberta in 2010 to provide connectivity to 745 government sites. CTTI is a public company created by law on December 28, 1993, responsible for guaranteeing the direction, planning, management, and control of information systems and telecommunications services of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
• Imagina Group (Original Parent)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerXarxa Oberta was originally formed as a UTE (temporary business union) by Imagina and Axia in 2010 to win the concession. Grupo Imagina acquired 100% of the company in 2013 before selling to Cellnex/Tradia in 2018.
• Oxigen DC (Data Center)coreTechnology or IntegrationXarxa Oberta incorporated Oxigen DC node in Sant Cugat as a new network point with dual-route diversified fiber connection. Oxigen DC is 100% Catalan investment with over 3,000 m2 of white room space and 6,000 m2 total, offering housing, hosting, storage, IaaS, PaaS, and CaaS services. Some hyperscalers are showing interest to locate and open regions there.
• Elèctrica VaquerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement allowing Xarxa Oberta to deploy fiber optics in Ripoll municipality by utilizing electrical infrastructure. Part of Xarxa Oberta's strategy to leverage existing infrastructure and minimize environmental impact.
• LERSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement with LERSA allowing Xarxa Oberta to deploy fiber optics to Campdevànol municipality. Strategic partnerships to extend network coverage using existing infrastructure.
• Diputació de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal infrastructure collaboration enabling fiber deployment through existing road ducting. Used for connecting various municipalities including Sant Quirze Safaja, Centelles, and others. Minimizes environmental impact and reduces deployment costs.
• Data Center Network Partners (bitNAP, Equinix BCN, Colt, BT, T-Systems, ITnow, IBM, etc.)coreTechnology or Integration15 data center nodes connected to Xarxa Oberta network: bitNAP, Mango Lliçà d'Amunt, Mango Palau-solità i Plegamans, Equinix BCN, Adam Cerdanyola, T-Systems Cerdanyola, ITnow Cerdanyola, BT L'H, Colt L'H, Imagina BCN, Tecnocampus Mataró, IBM Sant Fruitós de Bages, Serveis Web Fornells de la Selva, Barcelona CLS, and Oxigen DC. Wholesale operators can request interconnection at any of these nodes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Adamo Telecom: Adamo is a Spanish fiber operator focused on rural and underserved municipalities with FTTH rollouts and wholesale agreements. Comparable to XOC in addressing connectivity gaps in Catalan municipalities, but primarily a retail ISP rather than a wholesale infrastructure operator.

Broad incumbents

• MasOrange: MasOrange (the merged Orange Spain and MásMóvil group) is one of Spain's largest telecom operators with extensive FTTH coverage including Catalonia. Comparable to XOC as a major buyer of wholesale capacity and a direct competitor to its operator customers for end-market connectivity.
• Telefónica (Movistar): Telefónica operates the largest fiber network in Spain, including extensive FTTH in Catalonia. Comparable to XOC as both an infrastructure operator and the dominant buyer of wholesale services, but vastly larger scale and integrated retail/wholesale/government services.
• Vodafone Spain: Vodafone Spain is a major integrated telecom operator with FTTH and enterprise connectivity services across Catalonia. Comparable as both a wholesale customer of XOC and an alternative connectivity provider for end customers in the region.
• Colt Technology Services: Colt is a European B2B connectivity provider delivering fiber-based network, voice, and data center services. Comparable to XOC in offering Ethernet, wavelength, and dark fiber to wholesale and enterprise customers, with much broader geographic reach and a stronger enterprise sales motion.
• euNetworks: euNetworks is a Western European wholesale fiber infrastructure provider owning and operating fiber networks connecting key data centers and cities. Comparable to XOC in providing high-capacity wavelength, dark fiber, and Ethernet services to operators, hyperscalers, and enterprises, but at significantly greater geographic scale.

Others

• Cellnex Telecom: Cellnex Telecom is XOC's ultimate parent and Europe's largest independent telecommunications infrastructure operator. Comparable as a strategic platform/owner, providing context on the broader infrastructure portfolio and capital allocation framework within which XOC operates.

Direct peers

• Lyntia Networks: Lyntia is Spain's leading neutral wholesale fiber operator, offering dark fiber, Ethernet, and capacity services to telecom operators on a non-discriminatory basis. It is the closest direct analogue to XOC's wholesale-only, neutral-host model in the Iberian market, although with a broader geographic footprint across Spain.
• Aire Networks: Aire Networks is a Spanish wholesale and retail telecommunications operator providing fiber, data center, and cloud services. Like XOC, it operates a wholesale arm selling capacity to other operators alongside enterprise and public-sector connectivity.
• Tradia Telecom: Tradia is XOC's direct parent company within the Cellnex Group and operates an analogous wholesale broadcast and telecom infrastructure business in Catalonia and across Spain, including similar public-sector connectivity mandates. Directly comparable as a sibling neutral infrastructure operator under the same parent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xarxa-oberta-de-catalunya
• Xx.com/XarxaOberta

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya