Interconnection, fibre and telecom connectivity for data centers
BACKGROUND
An entrepreneur in digital infrastructure for more than twenty years, Nicolas Guillaume founded and led Netalis for eleven years, a B2B telecom operator specialising in high-speed connectivity for businesses and data centers. He led the physical rollout of fibre networks over short and long distances, on the operator's own account or with partner operators, and took part in building points of presence.
Under his leadership the operator built a long-distance network of around 800 kilometres of optical fibre in eastern France, sold in 2024 to an infrastructure operator. It was also among the first in France to offer guaranteed high-speed dedicated fibre to businesses at an accessible price.
He sat on the supervisory board of France-IX, the main internet exchange in France, and helped structure the representation of alternative operators with public authorities and the regulator. As early as 2011, he supported the City of Besançon in finding investors for a local data center.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO A DATA CENTER PROJECT
A data center without quality connectivity struggles to find tenants. It is a site selection criterion just like electrical power, and it is often studied too late.
Site selection with networks in mind: proximity to fibre routes and points of presence, scope for dual entry over physically separate paths.
Interconnection: connection to internet exchanges and carriers, carrier neutrality, latency for AI inference and regional customers.
Fibre cost and timing: dark fibre or managed services, civil works, road permits, negotiation with operators.
Commercial positioning of a regional or edge data center, where connectivity is often the main argument against large campuses.
WHO IT IS FOR
Developers selecting a site, regional and edge data center developers, investors who want to check an asset's real connectivity before committing. See also our site checklist.
HOW HE WORKS
Nicolas works within the GridReadiness network, which remains your single point of contact, alongside our grid connection and energy experts. Each assignment is set out in a written proposal.