PCCW Global selects the DDC as a “critical element” for pan-African expansion
November 16, 2016
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, has selected the Djibouti Data Center (DDC) to help facilitate network expansion and the provision of colocation and undersea fiber cable access services in East Africa.
The Djibouti Data Center has been built to Tier III data center standards and serves as a major meeting point for undersea fiber cable systems including the new Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable designed to connect Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. PCCW Global is a founder consortium member of the AAE-1 which is expected to be ready for service by early 2017.
Mr. Jordick Wong, Senior Vice President, Product and Vendor Management, PCCW Global, said, “The DDC is an important element of our wider pan-African development and expansion plans. The addition of AAE-1 to PCCW Global’s existing undersea fiber cable assets in the region will enable us to provide even more robust services, along with lower latency and increased diversity, boosting services levels for our customers.”
Mr. Wong added, “AAE-1 will stretch approximately 25,000kms and employ 100Gbps technology, with a capacity of more than 40 terabits to provide customers with low-latency and direct connectivity around the world.”
The AAE-1 system will connect Djibouti with Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France.
Anthony Voscarides, Chief Executive Officer of Djibouti Data Center, said, “The addition of AAE-1 cable system further establishes DDC as the leading carrier neutral data center hub in East Africa serving global and regional Telco’s, MNOs, ISPs, and CDN providers.”
Voscarides added, “We are very pleased that PCCW Global will be joining the DDC ecosystem, as it further enables the development and introduction of new services that will help drive economic and social well-being in the region.”
The DDC is uniquely positioned in East Africa and will enable PCCW Global to establish cross-connect and colocation facilities directly adjacent to Djibouti Telecom’s cable landing stations. In addition to supporting AAE-1 in the near future, the DDC provides access to fiber-cable systems such as EIG, EASSy, Aden-Djibouti, and Ethiopia-Djibouti.