Open Access Data Centres (OADC), a company that says it has been established to transform the provision of data centre services for Africa, has announced the deployment of what it describes as the continent’s first large-scale, open-access edge data centre environment.
Called OADC Edge, and sited in South Africa, this is said to be the first step in a wider rollout of OADC Edge across Africa. Nigeria is expected to follow later this year.
Explaining its business model, OADC says that by consolidating edge computing, edge data centres and hyperscale connectivity within a single ecosystem, it is establishing an edge environment that expedites the realisation of business opportunities for its clients.
It adds that the ability to locate equipment securely at remote locations is critical to 5G operators, ISPs and fibre providers looking to extend network reach into new markets. There’s also the bonus of reducing latency by serving content locally. In addition, says OADC, the ability to process large volumes of critical data before it is forwarded to larger, regional facilities improves efficiency while also reducing backhaul costs.
Integral to OADC’s core-to-edge, open-access, edge data centre offering is the establishment of new, regional data centres covering major cities – initially across South Africa – and rollout of over 100 0.5 MW OADC Edge data centres, in the largest deployment of open-access data centres on the continent.
The first 17 OADC Edge data centres are already live in South Africa, offering colocation, rooftop access and high-speed network interconnectivity between facilities at up to 100Gbps and on multiple routes for diversity. Sites are fully monitored by OADC’s 24/7/365 network operation centre (NOC). Rollout is continuing into key connectivity hubs, with new 2-3MW, Tier-III regional OADC facilities coming online during Q3 2022 and more than 100 OADC Edge data centres expected to be live by the end of 2022.
OADC is deploying its open-access, Tier III hyperscale and regional data centres at major cable landing locations and in key business hubs throughout Africa, while OADC Edge data centres are being deployed into smaller locations, serving the ongoing need to support service providers in extending network reach, and the growing requirement for content storage, processing and delivery at the network edge.