Grid Telecom (wholly owned subsidiary of IPTO)

Grid Telecom is a Greek wholesale telecommunications provider established in 2019 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO). It acts as IPTO’s telecommunications vehicle, offering electronic communications services and integrated wholesale solutions to national and international operators and large enterprise customers. The company leverages IPTO’s alternative optical backbone, which uses overhead Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) on high‑voltage transmission towers together with subsea optical cable systems, to achieve very short routes, high security, high availability and low latency across Greece. Its terrestrial and subsea fiber network has expanded beyond 4,000 km and is planned to exceed 6,000 km, providing dark fiber, spectrum, ultra‑fast capacity services and collocation within protected areas at IPTO substations. Grid Telecom is positioning Greece, and particularly Crete, as a carrier‑neutral, open‑access connectivity hub in the Balkan and wider Mediterranean region. It has deployed the MINOAS East‑West and APOLLO East‑West subsea systems, providing four diverse routes and 96 fiber pairs between Crete and the Greek mainland, and is constructing the ARTEMIS petabit‑class subsea cable between Crete and Attica. The company co‑owns the Crete branch of the 2Africa system and plans additional cable landing stations in Crete, offering backhaul to data centers in Crete, mainland Greece and neighbouring countries. Internationally, Grid Telecom participates in subsea and landing projects and long‑haul routes through agreements and MoUs with partners including Telecom Egypt, Dawiyat Integrated, Islalink, EXA Infrastructure and Tamares Telecom, extending connectivity towards Italy, the Balkans, Central Europe, Cyprus, the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. Grid Telecom focuses on carrier‑neutral wholesale services, including capacity, dark fiber and colocation, and aims to support national digital transformation while contributing to IPTO’s strategy of developing Greece into a strategic regional energy and data hub. Its stated vision includes expanding its international network, increasing entry points to Western Europe and other regions, and pursuing energy‑efficient, infrastructure‑re‑use‑based deployments to reduce environmental impact.