Bangladeshi telco Grameenphone has launched its first 'Super Core' data center in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
The Grameenphone (GP) data center is described as a Tier III standard facility (though not listed as Uptime certified), and has an IT capacity of 4MW.
Construction started in January 2023 on the Super Core Data Center which is a joint effort between GP and ZTE. It was officially launched on January 30, 2024.
The facility is supposedly the largest owned by a mobile network operator in the country.
Yasir Azman, CEO of GP said: "This facility not only confirms our pledge to lead the way in technological innovations but also demonstrates our devotion to putting our customers first in every aspect of our work, guaranteeing a future of technological progress and reliability in delivering a superior customer experience."
"The SCDC is like the body's heart. It needs to be safe and healthy to support the business," said ZTE managing director of engineering service Ma Liang.
"The data center uses the best and most innovative technology in the industry. It has multiple levels of protection to ensure its reliability. It will also be the first private sector Telco Data Center in Bangladesh to meet the Uptime Tier-III standard which follows the principles of saving energy and reducing emissions with a smart energy management system that makes it efficient and eco-friendly."
The data center uses NOVEC gas for auto fire suppression, and a monitoring system with intrusion detection capabilities to ensure security at the site.
GP is a joint venture between Norwegian telco Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation. Telenor owns a 55.8 percent share of the company, which has been operating in Bangladesh for 25 years. The company currently holds around a 46.3 percent revenue market share in the country, with 79 million subscribers as of 2022.
According to Data Center Journal, Bangladesh has 16 data centers in its capital city Dhaka.
Despite a fairly minimal colocation market in the country, there are local players such as Felicity IDC and Red.Digital, while the government operates an Uptime Tier IV-certified data center in the capital.
In February 2023, Indian data center firm Yotta Infrastructure announced plans to invest 20 billion Bangladeshi Taka ($190.5m) in developing a hyperscale data center park in Dhaka in the next four to six years. In September, Saudi firm DataVolt announced it was planning a campus in the country just outside the capital city for which it would invest around $100m.