PRESS RELEASE

EdgeConneX has announced the formation of a joint venture with Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, one of the Philippines’ leading conglomerates, to address considerable and rising data usage in the Philippines. The joint venture will leverage Aboitiz’ century-long local market expertise and its groupwide land and power assets with EdgeConneX’ global data centre platform, build, and operational capabilities.

The exclusive partnership focuses on building a network of hyperscale data centres across the Philippines. The first two data centres focus on the Manila metro area, with a connectivity-focused facility adjacent to the local internet exchange (IX) and a secondary hyperscale campus facility also located in the greater Manila area. The partnership will look to tap AIC’s land bank of 1,400 hectares of prime industrial real estate and AboitizPower’s diversified renewable energy capacity, which the company aims to triple by 2030.

“There is great excitement about the partnership and the incredible market opportunity the partnership enables,” commented Cosette V. Canilao, Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO. “The Philippines is underserved and seeing high domestic data demand growth relative to Southeast Asia. Our market size, favorable demographics, and proliferation of subsea cables make the Philippines an ideal destination for data centre investments. We also have access to prime real estate in both city centres, such as Manila, as well as emerging economic hubs like Batangas. We’re thrilled to have a premier global data centre partner in EdgeConneX.”

“In AIC, we have the ideal partner in the Philippines,” said Randy Brouckman, CEO of EdgeConneX. “They possess the local assets and expertise required to build out critical digital infrastructure that can best support our customers across the entire country. We look forward to investing in the digital economy of the Philippines and meeting our customers’ needs throughout the region. They complement our capabilities required to successfully capture this market opportunity.”

“Asia is a major focus area of investment and growth for EQT and EdgeConneX,” stated Jan Vesely, Partner at EQT Partners. “The data usage in Asia is expected to grow exponentially over the coming years, meaning that the underlying digital infrastructure must scale-up to meet increasing demand, thus creating compelling opportunities for investments. Whether through M&A or joint ventures such as this one with Aboitiz, we look to continue steadily building out the EdgeConneX global platform in Asia in collaboration with leading local partners.”

“The Philippines has consistently flown under the radar until just the last few years,” stated Jabez Tan, Head of Research, Structure Research. “The conditions are ripe for colocation providers to jump in and win business. In the last 12-18 months, data centre operators, real estate developers, and investors have circled the market in anticipation of the expected demand. And the underdeveloped competitive landscape leaves the door open for tremendous opportunities and long-term growth potential.”

Interested in this story? You might enjoy the Playing the data game sessions at Total Telecom Congress – Find out more here

RELATED CONTENT
GLOBE, THE LEADER IN MOBILE, IS PHILIPPINES’ MOST RELIABLE MOBILE NETWORK

EDGECONNEX® ENTERS INDONESIAN MARKET WITH PLANS FOR A HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER CAMPUS

Press release

GSMA has released its 2022 Mobile Economy Report for Europe.

Mobile technologies and services contributed Eur757 billion to European GDP in 2021, but Europe’s ambitious Digital Decade goals remain threatened by slower 5G rollout compared to competitor markets, a new report by the GSMA revealed today.

The 2022 Mobile Economy Report Europe shows that at the end of June 2022, 108 operators in 34 markets across Europe had launched commercial 5G services, with consumer take-up continuing to grow steadily, now reaching 6% of the mobile customer base. Norway leads in adoption of the technology, with 16% now using 5G, but positive momentum is also evident in Switzerland (14%), Finland (13%), the UK (11%) and Germany (10%).

However, tough market conditions are leaving Europe trailing its global peers. The report predicts that by 2025, the average adoption of 5G across Europe will hit 44%, with the UK and Germany expected to have the highest 5G adoption rates in Europe at 61% and 59% respectively. However, that rapid growth is outpaced by other world economies, with South Korea expected to hit 73% in the same time period, whilst Japan and the US are likely to achieve 68% adoption.

The pace of 5G coverage expansion across Europe will be a key factor in the transition from 4G to 5G, an important step towards the achievement of Europe’s Digital Decade goals. Although 5G network coverage in Europe will rise to 70% in 2025 (from 47% in 2021), nearly a third of the population will remain without 5G coverage. This compares to 2% or less in South Korea and the US.

Meeting Digital Decade Goals

In 2021, the European Commission (EC) set out its vision for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030 in the Digital Decade framework. The strategy promised to deliver tangible benefits for EU economies through the development of digital skills, digital transformation of business, sustainable digital infrastructures and the digitalisation of public services.

As economies digitalise, the lynchpin to ensuring success is the acceleration of 5G in Europe for traditional industry and manufacturing to remain competitive. To meet the EC’s 2030 goals, it is vital for policymakers to create the right conditions for private infrastructure investment, network modernisation and digital innovation.

Daniel Pataki, GSMA Vice President for Policy & Regulation, and Head of Europe, said: “Europe is adopting 5G faster than ever before, but greater focus on creating the right market conditions for infrastructure investment is needed to keep pace with other world markets. This should include the implementation of the principle of fair contribution to network costs”.

Industry Impact

The report also examines how European operators are progressing with the rollout of stand-alone (SA) 5G networks, noting that 5G SA services in Europe are now available in Finland, Germany and Italy. Further deployments are expected in the next few years. The added functionality enabled by 5G SA is key to delivering on the 5G promise of fully supporting advanced 5G use cases.

European operators are also at the forefront of cutting-edge, energy-efficient technologies and the use of renewables, with many already reaching 100% renewable electricity use across their footprints, powering their network infrastructure, data centres and other sites.

A few bits of network news from around the globe to close out the week: … [visit site to read more]

News

Verizon Business and Extreme Networks, Inc. have announced a partnership to deploy wireless connectivity solutions at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium.

Extreme Networks, a global leader is cloud networking, had previously announced that it had secured a deal with Liverpool FC earlier this year.

The deployment is scheduled to begin later this year and will include innovations including Extreme Wi-Fi 6 access points delivering low latency Wi-Fi connectivity. Enhanced connectivity across the stadium will enable new fan experiences such as mobile ticketing, cash free concessions, video streaming and new immersive experiences.

Liverpool FC will also benefit from real-time data insights looking into foot traffic, app usage and popular concessions in the stadium.

Extreme Networks and Verizon Business have already committed to numerous partnerships this year to deliver connectivity solutions to large venues and stadiums in Europe and APAC.

Massimo Peselli, CRO, Global Enterprise & Public Sector at Verizon Business commented: ““We’re excited to be joining forces with Extreme to transform Anfield into a place where the digital experience in-stadium is best in class. As we continue to bring our expertise to major venues around the globe, we’re making innovative fan experiences a reality, shortening queue times, streamlining matchday operations and more.”

Norman Rice, COO at Extreme Networks added: “We’ve set the bar for what great looks like when it comes to the connectivity needed to drive fan engagement and operational excellence at world class venues. Partnering with Verizon on yet another deployment means that Liverpool FC will be able to offer immersive, next-generation experiences off the back of reliable, high performing connectivity. Additionally, automation and intelligence will empower Liverpool FC to create innovative, personalised experiences for fans, while ensuring stadium operations flow smoothly.”

The edge data center specialists at EdgeConneX have found a new global market to enter. Yesterday they announced the formation of a new joint venture with Aboitiz InfraCapital, the infrastructure arm of the eponymous Philippine conglomerate. The JV will look to built out data centers in the Philippines. … [visit site to read more]

NEWS

As the price of energy soars across Europe, Orange has revealed a plan to save 20 MW of power this coming winter

With the Russian invasion in Ukraine resulting in a stymied flow of gas to Europe, energy prices are rising sharply across the continent. With an energy crisis on the horizon, households and telcos alike are scrambling to come up with solutions to lower their energy bills and Orange thinks they have one.

This week, Orange has announced a multifaceted energy saving plan in France that aims to save around 20 MW of power over the coming winter, around the same amount as the instantaneous consumption of a medium-sized city of 40,000 people.

The plan revolves around reducing its electricity consumption at peak times by between 5% and 10% for one hour each day. At this time, the several thousand fixed network installations will be operated by electric batteries.

According to Orange, the plan should have no negative impact on their customers.

“In an uncertain geopolitical and economic context, we share the French government’s concerns and we have developed a concrete plan to support the national energy saving initiative,” said Christel Heydemann, the new Orange CEO, who took over the role at the start of the year. “By offering to cut consumption at several thousand technical sites for one hour, we will reduce our instantaneous power requirements by up to 10%, without impacting the service offered to users. But I must point out that networks are crucial for an effective society. We must work together to avoid load shedding measures this winter.”

Additional measures to ensure Orange’s energy consumption will be reduced include setting its offices’ ambient temperature to 19°C, shutting off store window lighting no later than 30 minutes after closing, and potentially closing some of its “quieter work spaces” on days when they have few visitors.

Beyond moving to reduce their own power consumption, Orange will also be encouraging its customers to do likewise, including sending them SMS messages promoting energy-reducing tech behaviours like enabling standby mode for their Livebox and TV set-top box.

Further customer support will also be introduced in the form of services and offers aimed at helping customers to reduce their energy footprint.

Also in the news:
Optus confirms 2.1 million customers affected by cyberattack
Cloud Metro: Reimagining metro networks for sustainable business growth
Vodafone UK and Three confirm talks over a potential merger