MilkyWan
MilkyWan is a French non-profit association operating a national ISP network (AS2027, ARCEP code MILK) that delivers FTTH, ADSL/VDSL and OpenMPTCPRouter services to its individual members, small associations, and other associative operators across France.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLyon, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What MilkyWan does
MilkyWan is a French non-profit association (Association loi de 1901), founded in 2015 and headquartered in Lyon, that operates a national telecom network providing internet access services to its members and wholesale connectivity services to other operators. The association is registered with ARCEP under operator code MILK and operates its own autonomous system, AS2027, with dedicated IP resources. Its core commercial offerings consist of ADSL/VDSL over legacy copper lines, FTTH (Fiber to the Home) on multiple collection points across France, and OMR (OpenMPTCPRouter) services that aggregate multiple internet connections behind a virtual router. For other operators, MilkyWan sells Lan2Lan and IP transit services, while for the broader community it hosts free collaboration tools — MilkyPad (EtherPad), Jitsi videoconferencing, Pix (Lutim image hosting), and Hastebin — all running on the association's own infrastructure.
The technical backbone is composed of 100Gbit/s, 40Gbit/s and 10Gbit/s links across France with full IPv6 deployment, geographic redundancy, and peering at multiple regional and national IXPs including LyonIX, LillIX, FNC-IX, FranceIX and CIXP. All services are hosted on self-managed Proxmox hypervisor and filer clusters configured for high availability, eliminating reliance on third-party cloud infrastructure. The organization does not position itself as a traditional ISP but instead as an associative operator whose "customers" are members of the association, primarily individuals, small associations and very small structures within the French libre software and hacker community.
MilkyWan's revenue model is subscription-based, with monthly recurring fees for member internet access services and operator-side wholesale contracts. The organization is governed and operated by a team of around nine volunteers — including President and Founder Hugues, Vice President François, Treasurer Gary, CTO Gabriel, and additional network, security and systems administrators — and is not actively hiring. It is supported by a sponsorship program comprising 13 named infrastructure and technology partners (Eurofiber, F5, FiberWay, IP-Max, NETSYST, ielo, nine, Kissgroup, moji, DC2Scale, Netrix, Acrib, Verixi) and hosts strategic community partners GnousEU, Grifon and Pas Sage en Seine. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures have been disclosed.
MilkyWan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MilkyWan
- Legal name
- Association MilkyWan
- Website
- https://milkywan.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MilkyWan is a French non-profit association operating a national ISP network (AS2027, ARCEP code MILK) that delivers FTTH, ADSL/VDSL and OpenMPTCPRouter services to its individual members, small associations, and other associative operators across France.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MilkyWan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Internet Service Provider (Associative Telecommunications)
- NAICS
- Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Carrier Ethernet & Wavelength Wholesale (E-Line/E-LAN, OTN, lambda) (HDAIAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Network Management (LAN/WAN/Wi‑Fi) Services (BPAEABAD)
Keywords
Where MilkyWan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
MilkyWan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Member Subscriptions (Internet Access): Monthly/recurring subscriptions from association members for internet access services including ADSL/VDSL, FTTH fiber optic, and OMR (OpenMPTCPRouter) services.
- Operator Services (Lan2Lan, IP Transit): Services provided to other operators including Lan2Lan connectivity and IP transit services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | ADSL/VDSL service |
| Subscription | Monthly | FTTH Fiber Optic service |
| Subscription | Monthly | OMR OpenMPTCPRouter service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
MilkyWan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MilkyWan is a non-profit association operating a national French telecommunications network that provides internet access services (ADSL/VDSL, FTTH, and OpenMPTCPRouter aggregated connections) to its members, as well as Lan2Lan and IP Transit wholesale services to other operators. The association operates its own autonomous system (AS2027), ARCEP-registered infrastructure with 100G/40G/10G backbone links, and offers free community collaboration tools including EtherPad-based MilkyPad, Jitsi, Lutim image hosting, and Hastebin.
Product overview
MilkyWan is a non-profit ISP association operating a national network to provide internet access to members and services to other operators. Their portfolio includes three core internet access products: ADSL/VDSL over copper lines, FTTH fiber optic connections, and OMR (OpenMPTCPRouter) for connection aggregation. Additionally, they offer collaborative tools including MilkyPad (EtherPad-based collaborative text editing), Jitsi video conferencing, Pix/Lutim image hosting, and Hastebin text sharing. For B2B operators, they provide Lan2Lan and IP Transit services. All services run on the association's own infrastructure featuring a 100G/40G/10G backbone, IPv6 deployment, and geographic redundancy across multiple IXP peering points.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MilkyPad: Collaborative text editing service powered by EtherPad instance at pad.milkywan.fr
- Jitsi
- Pix
- Hastebin
Products and services
- ADSL/VDSL
- FTTH (Fiber to the Home)
- OMR (OpenMPTCPRouter)
- Lan2Lan
- Transit IP
Companies that use MilkyWan
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MilkyWan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
MilkyWan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- nineminorNetwork/infrastructure partner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- NETSYSTminorNetwork/infrastructure partner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- KissgroupminorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- EurofiberminorFiber infrastructure provider partnering with MilkyWan through sponsorship.
- mojiminorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- F5minorTechnology vendor supporting MilkyWan through sponsorship.
- DC2ScaleminorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- FiberWayminorFiber infrastructure provider partnering with MilkyWan through sponsorship.
- NetrixminorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- AcribminorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- ielominorNetwork services partner supporting MilkyWan through sponsorship.
- VeriximinorPartner supporting the MilkyWan association through sponsorship.
- IP-MaxminorIP/network services provider supporting MilkyWan through sponsorship.
- GnousEUminorMilkyWan hosts part of GnousEU's infrastructure. GnousEU is an association providing libre (free) software services.
- GrifonminorMilkyWan hosts a server and provides IP transit to Grifon, an associative operator and host based in Rennes and surrounding region.
- Pas Sage en SeineminorMilkyWan provides a stream server for PSES (Pas Sage en Seine), the festival of the hacker and free software community.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MilkyWan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tetaneutral.net: Non-profit French ISP association providing neutral internet services to members in the Toulouse area, with its own autonomous system and infrastructure. Operates on a comparable associative governance and community-led model.
- Grifon: Associative operator and host based in the Rennes region offering member internet services and IP transit. A direct peer in both business model (non-profit associative ISP) and regional footprint, and also an existing MilkyWan partner/customer.
- FDN (French Data Network): France's pioneering associative ISP, operating as a non-profit association providing neutral internet access and hosting to members. Directly comparable to MilkyWan in mission, governance model, and ARCEP-registered operator status.
- Alsace Réseau Neutre: Associative ISP serving the Alsace region of France with a non-profit, member-owned model. Operates its own network infrastructure and offers neutral connectivity, mirroring MilkyWan's associative operator approach.
- Franciliens.net: Paris-region associative ISP providing fiber and broadband to members under a loi de 1901 association structure. Closely mirrors MilkyWan's positioning as a neutral, member-owned alternative to incumbent French ISPs.
- Rézine: French associative ISP providing fiber and broadband to members in select regions under a non-profit cooperative model. Directly comparable to MilkyWan in target audience (FOSS/libre community members) and association governance.
Broad incumbents
- Iliad (Free): Major French ISP and one of the four national incumbent carriers, operating extensive FTTH infrastructure nationwide. A broad incumbent providing overlapping internet access services at significantly larger scale than MilkyWan.
- Bouygues Telecom: One of France's four major telecom operators, offering nationwide fiber and mobile services. Functions as a broad incumbent that defines the competitive landscape MilkyWan operates within.
Regional players
- Verixi: French telecom operator focused on B2B and operator services including IP transit and dedicated fiber. Comparable to MilkyWan's wholesale operator-services segment and listed as a MilkyWan sponsor.
- ielo: French operator specializing in B2B connectivity, IP transit, and fiber services with a focus on operators and integrators. Comparable to MilkyWan's wholesale (Lan2Lan, IP Transit) offering and is already a MilkyWan sponsor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MilkyWan social profiles
Digital presenceMilkyWan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MilkyWan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
MilkyWan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MilkyWan 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 MilkyWan
What does MilkyWan do?
MilkyWan is a non-profit association operating a national French telecommunications network that provides internet access services (ADSL/VDSL, FTTH, and OpenMPTCPRouter aggregated connections) to its members, as well as Lan2Lan and IP Transit wholesale services to other operators. The association operates its own autonomous system (AS2027), ARCEP-registered infrastructure with 100G/40G/10G backbone links, and offers free community collaboration tools including EtherPad-based MilkyPad, Jitsi, Lutim image hosting, and Hastebin.
Is MilkyWan a public or private company?
MilkyWan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MilkyWan founded?
MilkyWan was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MilkyWan based?
MilkyWan is headquartered in Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does MilkyWan make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Member Subscriptions (Internet Access) is the primary driver. The others are operator Services (Lan2Lan, IP Transit).
Who are MilkyWan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tetaneutral.net, Grifon, FDN (French Data Network), Alsace Réseau Neutre, Franciliens.net and Rézine. Broad incumbents are Iliad (Free) and Bouygues Telecom. Regional players are Verixi and ielo.
Does MilkyWan have an API?
No public API is recorded for MilkyWan.
What industry is MilkyWan in?
MilkyWan's product category is Internet Service Provider (Associative Telecommunications). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIAEAB, Carrier Ethernet & Wavelength Wholesale (E-Line/E-LAN, OTN, lambda), with a secondary code of BPAEABAD, Network Management (LAN/WAN/Wi‑Fi) Services. Its NAICS code is 51711 and its SIC code is 4899.