Zayo, Reintel light 400GE Iberian fibre for AI era

Zayo Europe has partnered with Spain's dark fibre operator Reintel to launch a 400GE-enabled wavelength network across the Iberian Peninsula.

The companies said the new routes connect Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Bilbao and Sines. Zayo Europe also expanded its Tier-1 IP offering into Portugal and into additional Spanish cities.

The deal extends Zayo Europe's reach in southern Europe at a time when operators report rising demand for bandwidth linked to AI, cloud services and other data-heavy applications.

Iberian footprint

Zayo Europe said the network spans more than 3,500km of fibre across Iberia. It will form part of the company's wider European footprint, which the company said links more than 600 data centres across the region.

Zayo Europe described the new connectivity as low latency and high capacity. The company also said the route adds network diversity and shortens deployment times for organisations buying connectivity in the region.

The new build-out links Iberia into international networks across the Mediterranean and Atlantic, according to Zayo Europe. It said this improves onward connectivity options for carriers, cloud providers, data centres and enterprises that operate across multiple geographies.

Reintel operates what it describes as the largest independent dark fibre network in Spain. It said it has more than 54,000km of interconnected fibre infrastructure. The company said its network links to sites across the energy and railway sectors.

Data centre routes

Zayo Europe framed Iberia as an emerging market for data centres. The company pointed to renewable energy supply as a factor behind new investment decisions.

"This partnership marks another important step in Zayo Europe's journey to connect the continent's most dynamic markets. Spain and Portugal are quickly emerging as major data centre hubs, with a strong supply of renewable energy driving new investments to power AI and other cutting-edge technologies."

"We're delighted to partner with Reintel, who operate the highest quality, mission critical fibre infrastructure in the region. By extending our network through their low latency, high availability fibre routes, we're enabling enterprises, data centres, and carriers across Iberia to access our extensive high-performance connectivity that underpins Europe's innovation economy. Following our recent expansion in the German Market, Iberia becomes the next strategic link in furthering the reach of our pan-European network. With the significant DC rollout planned in 2026, Zayo Europe is poised to set connectivity trends for the decade ahead."," said Colman Deegan, CEO, Zayo Europe.

The partnership combines Zayo Europe's optical and IP services with Reintel's fibre infrastructure in Spain. Zayo Europe said its wider network spans 13 countries and connects 47 markets. The company also said it has 2.7 million fibre kilometres and eight subsea systems.

In Iberia, Zayo Europe said the new routes provide data-centre-to-data-centre connectivity. It said this supports cloud connectivity and data-intensive workloads.

Zayo Europe has expanded its network footprint in a number of European markets in recent years. The company cited a recent expansion in Germany as part of its broader pan-European strategy.

Operator roles

Reintel positions itself as a neutral dark fibre provider. It supplies physical fibre infrastructure that other operators and service providers can use for their own networks.

Zayo Europe operates fibre and subsea infrastructure and sells managed connectivity services. It supplies telecom operators, cloud platforms, data centres, system integrators and enterprise customers, according to the company.

Reintel said the partnership aligns with its business plans for Spain's connectivity market and cross-border links into Portugal.

Zayo Europe's expansion into Iberia aligns perfectly with our mission to accelerate Spain's digital transformation. Combining our extensive dark fibre footprint with Zayo Europe's international network and unparalleled service excellence creates powerful opportunities for customers across the region.

"This partnership will empower data centres and businesses across Spain and Portugal to keep pace with rising data demands and ultimately, strengthen Europe's digital backbone. We look forward to what can be achieved together through 2026 and beyond."," said Francisco J. Blanca Patón, CEO, Reintel.

Zayo Europe said it expects further demand around planned data centre roll-outs in 2026.