Multi-service operator Orange Middle East & Africa (OMEA) and cloud technology provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced plans to bring AWS Wavelength, a new type of AWS infrastructure designed to run workloads that require low latency or edge resiliency, to Morocco and Senegal later this year.
This, says OMEA, will enable startups, enterprises, and public organisations to securely process and store data locally, leverage AWS services for digital transformation, and build low-latency applications.
These initiatives are described as the first AWS Wavelength Zones (zones in the carrier location where the Wavelength infrastructure is deployed) directly accessible both through wireless and wireline (internet) connections, allowing any customer to deploy and run applications locally on AWS compute and storage located in Orange data centres.
The partners say that Wavelength enables developers to support use cases across high-trust, regulated industries that require data to remain local, such as telecoms, finance, public sector and healthcare, as well as industries that depend on low-latency applications like gaming.
Because AWS Wavelength Zones extend AWS services locally, customers can seamlessly connect back to the rest of their applications and the full range of cloud services running in an AWS Region, leveraging the security, scalability and reliability of AWS.
As an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner, Orange says it will leverage the new local infrastructure capabilities, as well as existing AWS Regions, to foster cloud adoption in Africa. Orange will also be an anchor customer for the AWS Wavelength Zones, running some of its IT workloads in-country and helping to accelerate the digital transformation of the company.
Historically, AWS Wavelength Zones have existed in countries with AWS Regions. Today’s announcement showcases what is described as a new and evolved AWS Wavelength Zone designed to help meet the needs of customers in these emerging geographies, providing the benefit of bringing AWS services into countries without an AWS Region or AWS Local Zone.
Customers can deploy their applications to AWS compute and storage located within Orange’s data centres in Morocco and Senegal, so application traffic only needs to travel from the device to the local AWS Wavelength Zone either via Orange’s network or the network of another mobile or internet service provider.
With the new design, customers can deploy applications with low latency and granular data residency controls, providing further choice to help customers address stringent data residency requirements, such as in-country for regulatory, contractual, or security reasons. This system is also expected to strengthen local digital businesses and startups by encouraging innovation and offering simplified access to cloud services and development tools.