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    RTE’s Arteria selects Nokia to deploy its "Air Force WAN" optical network on high-voltage electricity transmission network in France

RTE’s Arteria selects Nokia to deploy its "Air Force WAN" optical network on high-voltage electricity transmission network in France

  • State-of-the-art ultra-high-performance optical network deployed on unique electricity routes in France, ready to support 800G services
  • Launch of "Arteria Waves" service offering in October 2023
  • Sovereign, robust, and secure network along the RTE optical infrastructure

September 28, 2023 Paris, France – Arteria (a telecom subsidiary of RTE, the Electricity Transmission Network) has chosen Nokia to expand its long-distance optical network (See French version on Arteria website). Arteria will install Nokia's optical network solutions along the high-voltage electricity transmission network in France, which includes 25,000 km of optical fiber and nearly 3,000 electrical substations.

The new network will provide telecom wholesale operators, private enterprises, and public markets with an alternative to terrestrial long-distance networks, offering unprecedented, ultra-high-speed data services (from 10G to 400G) with very low latency. The optical fiber network, lighthed by Arteria and currently dedicated solely to RTE's professional use as an electricity transmission network, represents a reliable, secure, and sovereign infrastructure.

Under the contract, Arteria will deploy Nokia’s optical networking solutions, including Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) WDM transport technology, with Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching platforms, powered by Photonic Service Engine (PSE) high-speed coherent optics. This high-performance, scalable, and easy-to-install solution will enable a simple and rapid activation of Arteria's services. Additionally, it provides native security at the optical layer, P-OTN switching platforms and quantum-safe encryption options.

Starting in 2023, nearly 90 secure technical sites will host Nokia equipment to allow Arteria to complete its first major national loop. This innovative optical network deployment will be carried out in several phases, initially connecting major national data centers, followed by regional centers.

Gilles Calligaro, President of Arteria, said: "Arteria is proud to establish such a strategic partnership with Nokia. This European industrial leader is capable of providing high-performing photonic technology combined with innovative transponders. They will allow us to offer the most high-performing French network, combining sovereignty, low latency, robustness, reliability, and ultra-high-speed. I am convinced that this alliance will be both a competitive advantage and a strong differentiator for our customers."

Matthieu Bourguignon, Vice President Europe for Nokia's Enterprise business, added: "We are delighted to collaborate with Arteria on this ambitious project. Nokia is a global leader in developing optical network solutions, and our cutting-edge solutions will enable Arteria to offer wholesale telecom operators, private enterprises, and public markets a new alternative to terrestrial long-distance networks by leveraging the high-voltage electricity transmission network throughout the country."