CBO GmbH

What CBO GmbH does

CBO GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer and distributor of optical and copper-based networking components, headquartered in Mülheim an der Ruhr and operating under the BlueOptics and BlueLAN brands. The company's core product portfolio spans optical transceivers from 100Mbit to 800G (QSFP-DD, OSFP, QSFP28, SFP28, SFP+, XFP, and CFP form factors), direct attach copper (DAC) and active optical (AOC) cables, MPO/MTP trunk and breakout cabling, fiber optic patch cables, media converters, PLC splitters, optical multiplexers, SAS cables, and Converged Network Adapter cards. A dedicated industrial sub-line offers ruggedized variants rated for extended temperature and harsh-environment deployments. Pricing is published in EUR with bulk tiers beginning at 1,000 units (e.g., €118.98 for a 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28, €59.48 for a 25GBASE-SR SFP28), and revenue is generated through hardware sales via both direct e-commerce and a reseller partner program.

The company serves five primary end markets: hyperscale and colocation data centers, enterprise networks, industrial environments, high-performance computing, and access/FTTx networks. Go-to-market combines a bilingual (German/English) direct e-commerce storefront at blueoptics.de with same-day warehouse shipping for orders placed before 16:00, a 14-day product loaner program, an RMA process, and country-specific phone support for Germany, the UK, France, and Spain. Distribution is supplemented by a 'Partner werden' reseller program targeting mid-market channels. CBO is differentiated primarily on breadth (a single catalog from 100Mbit legacy optics through 800G next-generation modules), warehouse-backed delivery speed, and a stated quality positioning around component selection and product lifetime. No external funding, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no executive team details are disclosed in the available data; the company has operated since 2004 with a headcount in the 11–50 band.

Name

CBO GmbH

Legal name

CBO GmbH

Website

https://cbo-it.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CBO GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer and e-commerce distributor of optical transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, and fiber connectivity products (BlueOptics and BlueLAN brands) serving data centers, enterprises, industrial, HPC, and access network buyers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Networking Hardware

NAICS

Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342), Electronic Connector Manufacturing (334417)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Electronic Connectors (3678)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Transceivers (SFP/SFP+/SFP28/QSFP/QSFP-DD/OSFP) (HDAFAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Active Optical Cables (AOC) & Optical Interconnects (HDAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Optical transceivers
• Fiber optic cables
• Networking equipment
• Data center connectivity
• Direct attach cables

Headquarters

HQ city

Mülheim An Der Ruhr

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Transceivers & Cables): Revenue generated from the sale of optical transceivers, direct attach cables, active optical cables, fiber optic patch cables, and networking equipment through their e-commerce platform and partner network.
2. Custom/OEM Solutions: Customized special solutions (maßgeschneiderte Speziallösungen) for specific customer requirements, including consultation and manufacturing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CBO GmbH manufactures and sells optical networking components, including optical transceivers (SFP, SFP+, XFP, QSFP, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, OSFP up to 800G), DAC and AOC cables, fiber optic patch and MPO/MTP cables, BlueLAN network interface cards, media converters, multiplexers, PLC splitters, and fiber patch panels. Products are sold under the BlueOptics and BlueLAN brands primarily for data center, enterprise network, industrial, HPC, and access network deployments, with multi-vendor OEM compatibility and custom OEM solutions available.

Product overview

CBO GmbH offers a comprehensive portfolio of active and passive network solutions under the BlueOptics brand for data centers, access networks, enterprise networks, industrial environments, and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. The product line centers on optical transceivers (100Mbit to 800G in QSFP-DD, QSFP28, SFP28, SFP+ formats) and DAC/AOC cables as the core connectivity components. These are complemented by fiber optic patch cables (LWL Patchkabel) in LC, SC, ST, and MPO configurations supporting OM3/OM4/OM5 multimode and OS2 singlemode grades, plus MPO/MTP trunk and breakout cables for high-density deployments. The BlueLAN sub-brand provides CNA (Converged Network Adapter) cards and DAC cables. Additional offerings include SAS cables, media converters, multiplexers, PLC splitters, fiber patch panels, measurement instruments, and accessories. The portfolio provides complete data center connectivity solutions from 10G to 800G for next-generation networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BlueOptics: Brand for active and passive network solutions including optical transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, fiber optic patch cables, MPO/MTP cables, SAS cables, media converters, PLC splitters, and NIC cards.
• BlueLAN

Products and services

• BlueOptics Optical Transceivers

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BlueOptics Partner ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCBO GmbH operates a partner program for resellers and distributors of BlueOptics products. Partners can join to resell optical transceivers, cables, and networking equipment. The program is promoted on their website with a dedicated 'Partner werden' (Become a Partner) page.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cisco: Cisco is the dominant OEM of networking switches and routers whose platforms CBO's BlueOptics transceivers target for compatibility. Cisco-branded optics are the primary alternative customers evaluate against CBO's third-party offerings.
• Arista Networks: Arista Networks is a leading data center switching OEM and a key platform whose optics CBO's BlueOptics transceivers are designed to be compatible with. Arista-branded optics represent the incumbent alternative in the same hyperscale/cloud customer base CBO addresses.
• Coherent: Coherent (formerly II-VI/Finisar) is a leading global manufacturer of optical components, transceivers, and networking subsystems. While not a direct third-party competitor, its branded transceiver portfolio and OEM relationships set the technology and pricing benchmarks CBO must compete against.
• Lumentum: Lumentum is a major US-based manufacturer of photonic and optical networking products including transceivers and ROADM components. It operates as an established incumbent in the optical communications space that CBO's customers ultimately procure from.

Direct peers

• FS.com: FS.com is the largest global third-party optical transceiver and cabling vendor, offering a comparable full-spectrum portfolio of 1G to 800G transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, MPO/MTP cabling, and media converters sold primarily through its own e-commerce platform — directly competing with BlueOptics in the same customer segments.
• Prolabs: Prolabs is a UK-based provider of compatible optical transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, and networking components serving data center and enterprise customers globally. Its product breadth and third-party optics positioning make it a near-direct competitor to CBO's BlueOptics line.
• AddOn Networks: AddOn Networks (now part of Ciena-affiliated entities) is a global third-party networking components vendor offering compatible transceivers, cabling, and media converters across similar data rates and form factors as BlueOptics.
• Cloud Light Technology: Cloud Light Technology is a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of optical transceivers and active optical cables for data center applications. It overlaps with CBO's portfolio in 100G/400G/800G transceiver and AOC product categories, serving similar hyperscale and enterprise customers.
• Flexoptix: Flexoptix is a Germany-based competitor offering third-party optical transceivers and the Flexbox coding device for OEM compatibility. It is highly comparable to CBO due to its European base, similar B2B optics product line, and focus on interoperability with major switch vendors.
• 10Gtek: 10Gtek is a Chinese third-party optics vendor offering compatible transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, and fiber cabling solutions across similar data rates. It directly competes with BlueOptics on price in the global third-party optics market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cbogmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/CBO.GmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbo-gmbh

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 CBO GmbH