Tier-1 Internet Backbone · AS1299 · Formerly Telia Carrier
Arelion
The world's best-connected backbone — 70% of global routes directly connected.
AS1299, ranked #1 globally by Kentik (2023). 75,000 km of owned optical fiber across three continents, 350+ PoPs in 35 countries, 95% of end-users within a single hop. DIA up to 400 GbE, IP Transit, Carrier Ethernet, Wavelengths, Cloud Connect, and carrier-grade DDoS — with engineer-only support and NPS 72.
Tier-1 AS1299DIA up to 400 GbEIP TransitCloud Connect — Top 5Wavelengths 400GEDDoS 280+ Tbps
#1
Internet backbone globally — Kentik ranking 2023
75,000 km
Owned optical fiber across 3 continents
70%
Of global Internet routes directly connected
NPS 72
Net Promoter Score 2023 — engineer-only support
AS1299 — Network Scale
Built organically since 1993 without acquisitions — the backbone's consistent architecture spans North America, Europe, and Asia on owned infrastructure.
350+
Points of Presence
120 cities · 35 countries
2,500+
Customers
125+ countries served
95%
End-Users Within One Hop
from AS1299
70+ Tb/s
Edge Traffic Capacity
54% annual growth
900+
Connected Operators
directly peered
500+
Content Providers
directly peered
450
Local Access Partners
managed end-to-end
99.999%
IP Backbone Availability
SLA-backed with credits
Network Services Portfolio
Every service delivered on Arelion's owned, organically-built Tier-1 backbone.
Dedicated Internet Access
Uncontended, 100% dedicated symmetric bandwidth on the Tier-1 backbone. Available at 100 Mbps, 1G, 10G, 40G, 100G, and 400 GbE. Flexible billing: flat rate, burstable, or multi-port aggregation. 99.999% availability SLA with credit-backed guarantees.
IP Transit
Complete global routing table with 65% of routes directly connected for organizations with their own AS number. Three route options: Global Connect, Euro Connect, and Content Connect — all supporting IPv4 and IPv6. Advanced BGP communities, RPKI and MANRS compliance.
Carrier Ethernet (EVPL & ELAN)
MEF 3.0-certified Ethernet services. EVPL supports point-to-point and hub-and-spoke (10 Mbps–40 Gbps). ELAN provides any-to-any topology (10 Mbps–10 Gbps). Jumbo frames (MTU 9100), VLAN transparency, Multiple Services on One Port (MSOP), 21-day standard on-net delivery.
Wavelengths (DWDM)
Dedicated optical transport at 1GE, 10GE, 100GE, and 400GE for data center interconnect, hyperscale, and long-haul needs. Three options: single link, protected link, and dual link with fully diverse routes. 95% of European and 70% of US routes are 400GE-ready.
Cloud Connect
Private dedicated on-ramps to the top 5 cloud providers — AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Oracle. Bypass the public Internet for consistent, low-latency cloud access with dedicated bandwidth for hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.
Smart IP VPN (MPLS)
Managed IP VPN over the Arelion MPLS backbone for secure, reliable multi-site enterprise WANs across continents. Redundant link options combining MPLS and DIA at each site for complex global deployments.
DDoS Mitigation
280+ Tbps edge capacity, 5 geographically distributed scrubbing centers, BGP flowspec backbone-level control. Automated detection-to-clean-traffic cycle in under 3 minutes. Covers reflection amplification, TCP stack, SSL/TLS, DNS, application-layer, and gaming protocol attacks.
IX Connect
Internet Exchange peering services for direct traffic exchange at major exchange points, reducing latency and transit costs for operators and content providers.
Support Staffed Entirely by Engineers
Most carriers route support through general agents who escalate to engineers. Arelion's service center is staffed exclusively by network engineers — the people who understand the infrastructure answer the phone.
80% of trouble tickets are resolved by frontline staff without further escalation. Issues get diagnosed and fixed faster, with no knowledge lost in handoffs between tiers.
80%
First-touch resolution
72
Net Promoter Score
100%
Engineers on staff
Bronze Stevie Award 2023
Customer Service Department of the Year — International Business Awards
World Communication Awards
Multiple wins 2015–2020 for network excellence and customer service
Industry-Leading NPS
Net Promoter Score of 72 — industry average is approximately 30–40
Credit-Backed SLAs
Availability, round-trip delay, and packet loss guarantees backed by service credits across all services
Carrier-Grade DDoS — Defense on the Backbone
Arelion's DDoS mitigation operates directly on the world's #1 Internet backbone — attacks are stopped before they reach customer connections.
How Mitigation Works
- 1.Detection monitors all traffic flows for suspicious patterns
- 2.Affected traffic diverted to nearest of 5 scrubbing centers
- 3.Automated system filters malicious packets — legitimate traffic passes through
- 4.Clean traffic returned to normal path after attack subsides
- 5.Full detection-to-clean cycle in under 3 minutes
Attack Types Covered
Reflection & Amplification
Fragmentation Attacks
TCP Stack Attacks
Application-Layer (L7)
SSL/TLS Attacks
DNS Cache Poisoning
Gaming Protocol Attacks
Multi-Vector Campaigns
280+ Tbps
Edge Capacity
5
Scrubbing Centers
<3 min
Mitigation Time
24/7
Dedicated SOC
Infrastructure Firsts Since 1993
Arelion has led every major generation of Internet infrastructure, built organically without acquisitions.
1993
Founded as Internet pioneer — one of the first commercial backbone providers globally
1998
First carrier to commercially sell wavelength services
2013
First carrier with 100GE on both sides of the Atlantic simultaneously
2018
Acquired by Polhem Infra; backbone spans full three-continent coverage
2020
First to announce a full-scale 400GE-ready network
2021
First to test transatlantic 400GE wavelengths
2022
Rebranded from Telia Carrier to Arelion
2023
Ranked #1 Internet backbone by Kentik; NPS 72; Bronze Stevie Award for Customer Service
400GE Network Readiness Today
European long-haul routes95%
US long-haul routes70%
Multiple Services on One Port (MSOP)
Run IP Transit, EVPL, ELAN, and Cloud Connect simultaneously over a single physical port — reducing infrastructure costs while maintaining full service quality through logical separation.
IP TransitEVPLELANCloud Connectone port
Direct Cloud On-Ramps
Private Connectivity to the Top 5 Cloud Providers
Arelion Cloud Connect provides dedicated private on-ramps to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Oracle — bypassing the public Internet for consistent, low-latency cloud access with dedicated bandwidth.
AWSMicrosoft AzureGoogle CloudIBM CloudOracle Cloud
- Private, Not Public — Traffic never traverses the public Internet — dedicated bandwidth on the Arelion backbone end-to-end.
- Consistent Performance — Dedicated bandwidth means no contention — predictable latency and throughput for cloud workloads.
- Multi-Cloud Ready — Connect to all five providers over the same infrastructure — simplifying hybrid and multi-cloud strategies.
Industries Served
Financial Services & TradingTelecommunications & CarriersCloud Service ProvidersContent & Media DeliveryHyperscale & Big DataGamingHealthcare & Life SciencesTechnology & SaaSManufacturingEducation & ResearchCybersecurityTransportation & Logistics
Why Arelion
World's #1 Internet Backbone — AS1299
Arelion's AS1299 has been consistently ranked the best-connected Internet backbone globally, with 70% of global routes directly connected. This means minimal hops to any destination, lowest possible latency, and zero congestion through abundant capacity reserves built on owned fiber infrastructure — not leased or resold capacity.
Organic Infrastructure — Built, Not Acquired
Unlike competitors built through acquisitions, Arelion's backbone has grown organically since 1993, stretching across three continents entirely on its own infrastructure. This means consistent architecture end-to-end, unified operations, and seamless service quality — no stitched-together networks from legacy acquisitions with architectural seams.
Engineer-Staffed Support — 80% First-Touch Resolution
The service center is staffed exclusively by engineers, not general support agents. 80% of trouble tickets are resolved by frontline staff without escalation — issues get diagnosed by people who understand the infrastructure. The result: a Net Promoter Score of 72 in 2023, among the highest in the industry.
400GE-Ready Infrastructure — Future-Proof Capacity
Arelion was first to commercially offer wavelengths, first with 100GE transatlantic, and first to announce a full-scale 400GE-ready network. Today 95% of European and 70% of US long-haul routes support 400GE. Organizations with growing bandwidth demands are not building toward an infrastructure ceiling.
Global Reach with Local End-to-End Delivery
350+ PoPs in 35 countries combined with 450 local access partners and 180+ ENNI agreements enable managed end-to-end connectivity in 125+ countries. Arelion can serve as the single provider for both the backbone and the last-mile access across global enterprise footprints.
Carrier-Grade DDoS Directly on the Backbone
DDoS mitigation operates on the world's #1 Internet backbone with 280+ Tbps edge capacity and 5 scrubbing centers — attacks are stopped before reaching customer connections in under 3 minutes. BGP flowspec provides granular backbone-level control. Multi-homed DDoS service available for customers using multiple upstream providers.
Arelion vs. Typical Tier-1 / Regional Carriers
| Attribute | Arelion | Typical Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| Backbone Ranking | #1 globally (Kentik 2023) | Tier-1 or Tier-2; varies |
| Owned Fiber | 75,000 km — 3 continents, organically built | Often supplemented by leased capacity |
| Routes Directly Connected | 70% of global routes | Typically requires more hops |
| Max Interface Speed | 400 GbE (DIA & Wavelength) | Often capped at 100 GbE |
| Cloud On-Ramps | Top 5 (AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM, Oracle) | Varies by provider |
| Support Model | Engineers only — 80% first-touch | Tiered escalation common |
| Net Promoter Score | 72 (2023) | Industry average ~30–40 |
| DDoS Edge Capacity | 280+ Tbps, under 3 min mitigation | Varies widely |
| Ethernet Delivery | 21 days on-net standard | 30–90+ days typical |
| MSOP | Multiple services on one physical port | Separate port per service common |
Frequently Asked Questions
Connect to the world's best-connected backbone
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