Equinix and Vodafone to build digital hub connecting Africa , Europe and Middle East
Equinix , a global provider of digital infrastructure and Vodafone , have announced a plan to build a new subsea hub in Genoa , called GN1 . Situated on Italy ’ s north-west coast , Genoa has a rich history in maritime trade and is well-positioned to be a key location on the global subsea cable map .
Vodafone , which is the cable consortium ’ s lead for European landings , will land the 2Africa cable system at Genoa and use Equinix ’ s GN1 facility as a strategic interconnection point for the subsea cable system , creating stronger connectivity in Europe and contributing to building an inclusive digital society for all .
2Africa is one of the world ’ s largest submarine telecommunications cable projects , driven by a group of partners . The cable will circumnavigate the continent of Africa , directly connecting 16 countries to Europe and the Middle East .
This will deliver much-needed Internet capacity and reliability , underpinning the further growth of 4G , 5G and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people . The project will also drive the growth of increasingly digitised economies across Europe by strengthening connectivity between European countries .
GN1 will have a direct fibre connection to ML5 , the soon-to-be opened Equinix flagship data centre in Milan and will allow Equinix customers to increase the number of partners they connect with and expand their reach into new markets .
The combination of 2Africa ’ s landing in the new Genoa site and the direct connection to Milan means GN1 will offer a new , complementary and diverse alternative option for the Mediterranean region .
Nick Gliddon , Director , Vodafone Carrier Services , said : “ The 2Africa project is vitally important to improving connectivity between Europe , Africa and the Middle East , and will also improve intra-European connectivity . By linking Spain and Portugal directly to Genoa and Milan , the system will avoid fibre bottlenecks that naturally occur between France and Spain , further strengthening Vodafone ’ s Gigabit networks .”
According to Equinix , the need for robust digital infrastructures can be seen across the world and Africa is no exception .
Eugene Bergen Henegouwen , President , EMEA , Equinix , added that : “ I am thrilled we are adding a new metro to our EMEA portfolio . Equinix ’ s Genoa site provides a great landing hub for subsea cable operators , while at the same time boosting the digital ecosystems at our recently announced Milan flagship , ML5 . Equinix continues to focus on expanding its position as a global connectivity service provider . Our commitment is always to support the increasing demands we ’ re seeing from companies globally to accelerate their Digital Transformation . We ’ re helping businesses connect to everything they need to succeed , and will continue to do so .” ◊ intelligent INFRASTRUCTURE www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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