Digital infrastructure company Equinix has announced its planned entry into the Philippines with the acquisition of three data centres from Total Information Management (TIM), a technology solutions provider.

Equinix says the acquisition of the three high-performance data centres will provide capacity for it to address the digital needs of local and overseas businesses in the country. It says enterprises, cloud and IT service providers and network service providers around the world can leverage Platform Equinix  to interconnect and exchange data privately and securely within an ecosystem of business partners and customers.

Existing customers of TIM, including network and financial services companies, will also gain access to Equinix’s global ecosystems of more than 10,000 companies, including more than 2,000 networks and 3,000 cloud and IT service providers. The three carrier-neutral and interconnection-rich data centres include more than 1,000 cabinets of capacity and land for further expansion. 

As part of Equinix’s ambitious investment plans in the Asia-Pacific region, the company has plans to expand in new markets including Jakarta, Indonesia (with the JK1 data centre) and Chennai, India (CN1) later this year. With the capacity allocation by the government, Equinix will also expand its footprint in Singapore. 

Following recently announced expansions in Malaysia and Indonesia, Equinix says this strategic move into the Philippines aims to help businesses expand and capitalise on the digital opportunity of the fast-growing Southeast Asia region.

Reuters points out that most Southeast Asian countries present a favourable environment for data centre establishments, thanks to their strong growth potential, young, tech-savvy population, inexpensive land and labour expense, and favourable policies.

It adds that tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have already invested billions of dollars in the region to cater to the burgeoning demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing services.

Two international bits of infrastructure news, and two FTTH builds of domestic interest: … [visit site to read more]

Rijeka Gateway has announced a 5G standalone (SA) connectivity partnership with Croatian telecommunications company Hrvatski Telekom (HT), involving the adoption of what is described as a next-level private 5G campus network.

Rijeka Gateway is a port operating company which operates port facilities at the largest Croatian Port of Rijeka. A joint venture between APM Terminals and ENNA Group, it is a completely new, ground-up development, with no legacy LTE network. This, the company claims, will allow the terminal to become HT’s first installation to use SA architecture.

Rijeka Gateway, due to begin operations in 2025, will use the HT public mobile network for its predominantly remotely operated electric equipment. It says that electric container handling equipment will reduce environmental impact to the minimum and mitigate noise and pollution for the local community. 

Peter Corfitsen, CEO of Rijeka Gateway, explains: « The terminal in Rijeka will be the only terminal in this part of Europe with remotely operated cranes. Almost all equipment will be electric, and we are installing very advanced energy optimisation and overall terminal management systems. Quality and reliable communication infrastructure is a prerequisite for such operations, » he adds.

With a 50-year concession, Rijeka Gateway will serve as the main entry point for container traffic to the hinterland countries and markets of Europe and will play a crucial role in the development of the local economy.

In addition, Adriatic ports, like Rijeka, which is situated on the Kvarner Gulf, have become more prominent given they provide the shortest maritime link between Europe and the Middle and Far East. 

One new NOC and a bunch of vender wins from around the world. … [visit site to read more]

Malaysian mobile data service company U Mobile is back in the news only days after a Maxis buyout was reported. This time it is apparently planning a domestic initial public offering (IPO).

The IPO is expected to raise more than US$500 million as early as the first half of 2025, according to Reuters, quoting its own sources who suggest that U Mobile will file the IPO application to the regulator later this month, or in August.

The deal, if it proceeds, could be the largest IPO in Malaysia in nearly eight years, a deal that would value the firm at more than US$2 billion, according to Reuters’ sources. It’s been a long time coming: U Mobile has reportedly been planning to hold an IPO on the local stock exchange since 2014.

Proceeds raised will in all likelihood be used for mobile data network expansion, among other plans, though this has not been confirmed by the company, which says it will make announcements if there are any concrete developments.

The company also plans to be part of the tender to build Malaysia’s second 5G network.

Founded in 2006, U Mobile is Malaysia’s newest service provider. Figures are hard to come by but U Mobile is said to have crossed the 9 million subscriber mark last year. Maxis is just ahead at about 9.5 million subscribers, while the market leader, CelcomDigi, has about 20.4 million subscribers.

We reported last week that, according to Bloomberg, rival operator Maxis is in early-stage talks with U Mobile for a possible buyout deal to expand its network reach. However, the deal is apparently facing several major hurdles.

One network upgrade and three data center expansion projects: … [visit site to read more]

In the New York/New Jersey metro area there are a few iconic facilities that everyone in the industry knows.  One of those is Newark’s 165 Halsey, which has long been a key node in the region’s internet infrastructure, and which celebrated its 25th birthday in the telecom and infrastructure world this past spring.  With us today to talk about 165 Halsey and where it fits in the ecosystem is James Fitzgerald, EVP of Tishman Real Estate Services, which is the real estate investment and development firm that manages the facility. … [visit site to read more]

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This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Igor Cernjava, Product Manager at Quectel Wireless Solutions

The advent of 5G technology has revolutionized the telecommunications landscape, promising higher speeds, lower latency, higher network flexibility, higher security and increased connectivity. … [visit site to read more]

Nairobi-based IXAfrica Data Centres and Schneider Electric have launched what they say is the first AI-ready hyperscale data centre in Kenya, and the largest such data centre in all of East Africa.

According to media reports, Schneider Electric said in a statement that the new facility, labelled ‘NBOX1’, is a Tier 3+ carrier-neutral data centre capable of supporting advanced AI applications. The statement said that NBOX1 is “the largest and most technologically advanced digital habitat for cloud, colocation, and connectivity in East Africa”.

A LinkedIn post from IXAfrica Data Centres says NBOX, located at its 4.3-acre IXAfrica Nairobi Campus, sports 4.5MW of IT power. The data centre features 780 racks in three data halls, with 4,000 square metres of teleport space.

The facility is supported by Schneider Electric’s ‘EcoStruxure for Data Centres’ architecture and solutions, which Schneider says provides NBOX1 with “resilience, uptime and cost efficiency, enhanced security, and the ability to meet IXAfrica’s sustainability objectives.”

Schneider also said the power train for the facility is based around its MV and LV switchgear to offer “stable and reliable cloud services renewably powered by Kenya’s grid.”

“The solutions provided by Schneider Electric are engineered to support N+1 redundancy with four independent power trains, meeting IXAfrica’s immediate and long-term objectives, including design 1.25 PUE across the campus, as well as a 99.999% uptime guarantee,” said Ifeanyi Odoh, Schneider Electric’s country president in East Africa, in a statement.

IXAfrica CEO Snehar Shah noted that the Nairobi campus site “is built on land formerly part of Schneider’s complex, and the power engineering for the site was designed by Schneider’s local partners.”

IXAfrica Nairobi Campus One has been in the works since early 2021, backed by a US$50 million capital investment from investment firm Helios. In August last year, IXAfrica said it signed a deal with real estate developer Tilisi Developments to purchase 11 acres of prime land to build a second data centre campus in Nairobi.

Shah also touted Kenya’s role as a digital technology epicentre for East Africa, serving a regional population of over 300 million people and supporting an innovation ecosystem that includes a skilled workforce, cloud and content providers, and colocation and connectivity services.

“Kenya is a hypercloud-ready region with advanced cloud adoption propensities, a digitally savvy environment, access to diverse internet fibre connectivity, high availability, and low-carbon power sources,” Shah said. “All of this takes place in a country with a stable regulatory and political climate, as well as a strong economy expected to grow by 5.2% in 2024.”

In May this year, Microsoft and AI-focused UAE-based technology group G42 announced a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya as part of an initiative with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. With an initial investment of US$1 billion from G42, the package includes a green data centre built by G42 and its partners in Olkaria that will run on and provide access to Microsoft Azure through a new East Africa Cloud Region.