Grid Telecom and Bulgarian Electricity Transmission System Operator ESO sign strategic Memorandum of Understanding

Athens, 6 November 2023

Grid Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary, and the telecommunications vehicle of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bulgarian Electricity Transmission System Operator ESO, regarding the joint commercial exploitation of the Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) terrestrial fiber links installed in parallel with the existing 400 kV extra-high voltage electrical interconnections between Greece and Bulgaria. 
The agreement was signed by ESO’s President and CEO, Angelin Tsachev and Grid Telecom’s Director, George Psyrris. The MoU provides for the establishment of a Steering Committee to coordinate the cooperation, supported by groups of experts on technical, legal, and commercial-economic issues. The parties will seek through their cooperation to utilise their expertise, experience, and technical, commercial, and financial know-how, achieving efficient management for fast development and implementation of the project.
The first transmission link concerns the existing electrical interconnection between Blagoevgrad – Thessaloniki with 12 OPGW fiber pairs, while the second link concerns the interconnection recently completed between Maritsa East – Nea Santa with 24 OPGW fiber pairs, achieving for each pair potential data transmission rate up to 38 TBps.
The cooperation with ESO will create a new high-capacity corridor for data transfer in the broader Balkan and Mediterranean region, providing a significant growth boost to IPTO Group's telecommunications infrastructure and further strengthening Grid Telecom's position in the international market. The strategic agreement with ESO, is in line with Grid Telecom's strategy to strengthen its infrastructure, expanding its international network, and increasing its entry points to the Balkans and Central Europe, by providing a new gateway in the Eastern Mediterranean, via Greece.
With its strategic goal of upgrading Greece on the European energy map, IPTO launches new international electricity and telecommunications links with all neighbouring countries and promotes major intercontinental interconnection projects in the Eastern Mediterranean, contributing to Greece's transformation into a critical regional energy and data hub.
Emerging as the prime wholesaler in the Greek market, Grid Telecom exploits IPTO’s extensive optical network in Greece and neighbouring countries and integrates it with its own fiber links and points-of-presence, to achieve network diversity, maximum security, strong redundancy, and exceptionally low latency while creating a new carrier neutral, open-access, connectivity hub in the region.
The Chairman and CEO of IPTO, Manos Manousakis, stated: 
"IPTO is building the electricity and telecommunications backbone networks of the future, contributing to the transfer of energy and data in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.  We are very pleased, because the strategic cooperation of our subsidiary Grid Telecom with the Bulgarian Electricity Transmission System Operator ESO, allows the joint exploitation of optical fiber networks between Greece and Bulgaria. In this framework, leveraging on the strategic geographical positions of Greece and Bulgaria, creates strong synergies and win-win business opportunities, bringing a new international corridor in high demand, between Greece and Bulgaria, which will give further growth boost to IPTO's telecommunications infrastructure, enhancing the strategic role of Greece as a neutral open-access connectivity hub in the broader region."
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About IPTO:
  The Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) is responsible for the operation, monitoring, maintenance, and development of the “Hellenic Electricity Transmission System”, aiming to ensure safe and undisrupted power supply across the country. IPTO’s “Ten Year Network Development Plan” provides for the electrical interconnection of major Greek islands in the High Voltage System by 2029, the strengthening and modernization of the continental power grid as well as the facilitation of Greece’s transition towards a cleaner energy mix. IPTO’s investment program, includes the Crete-Attica power link, supplemented with dual optical fiber cables, the completion of Cyclades as well as the interconnections of the Dodecanese and the NE Aegean islands. IPTO is also developing new international interconnections to Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia, and Turkey, and supports new subsea electricity interconnectors which are being are promoted, to Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, with Greece as the main hub.

For more information, contact:
Email: pressoffice@admie.gr

About Grid Telecom:
Grid Telecom was established in 2019 as a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece and acts as its telecommunications vehicle for providing wholesale services and total solutions to national and international operators and large enterprise customers. Grid Telecom’s optical fiber terrestrial and subsea network exceeds 4,000 km throughout Greece and will soon exceed 6,000 km connecting most Greek islands with the core network, offering dark fiber and spectrum, achieving the shortest possible routes, network diversity, maximum security, and very low latency. Grid Telecom is developing a growing international optical fiber network that is supported by a state-of-the-art proprietary DWDM optical network, providing ultra-fast capacity services, as well as collocation services within protected areas in IPTO’s substation sites across Greece.  

For more information, contact: 
Email: pressoffice@grid-telecom.com