Africa's fastest-growing data center company, Open Access Data Centers, has successfully secured nine prominent national and international carriers into the Meet Me Room (MMR) of the brand new 2MW-capable OADC Kinshasa facility, the DRC's first open-access, Tier-III, carrier-neutral data center (DC)
This marks a pivotal stride in constructing a robust, dynamic, and invaluable digital ecosystem, facilitating carriers to interconnect with other DC residents, thus augmenting their service offerings to customers. Moreover, it ensures crucial connectivity diversity and resilience by linking to multiple submarine cables, along with facilitating cross-connections with various connectivity providers.
Accelerating DRC's digital expansion
Scheduled to launch in April 2024, the 2MW-capable data centre facility, configured with an initial 400 sq m of IT white space, will catalyse the country's digitalisation efforts. This will empower clients, including carriers, content providers, cloud operators, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), to expand their operations within the DRC at their convenience.
OADC Kinshasa, set to expand to 1000m2 of white space and eventually accommodate over 550 racks, is strategically located adjacent to major fibre routes accessible through a myriad of onsite providers. This ensures clients can seamlessly connect to their preferred connectivity provider.
OADC Kinshasa will play a pivotal role in expediting the development of the country's ICT capabilities, offering colocation and other value-added data center services tailored to the cloud infrastructure requirements of diverse businesses and enterprises. This will enhance operational efficiency, accelerate digitisation initiatives, and enable better servicing of business and customer needs.
As the DRC's first vibrant and comprehensive interconnection and peering ecosystem involving multiple carriers, ISPs, content providers, and Internet Exchanges, the open-access, carrier-neutral facility will transform the digital infrastructure landscape, fostering increased competition and operational cost-efficiency. This, in turn, is expected to lower the cost of internet connectivity for the Congolese populace and businesses, catalysing the growth and enhancement of the DRC's digital ecosystem.
With Kinshasa boasting a population of over 16 million people and serving as the focal point for digital connectivity demand within the DRC, the data center is strategically positioned within TEXAF's SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub. Operated by the award-winning WIOCC Group company OADC, the fastest-growing data center company in Africa, in partnership with TEXAF, this collaboration underscores TEXAF's strategy of attracting international industry leaders like OADC into the country and specifically into the new SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub.
Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC's operations in the DRC, affirmed, "OADC Kinshasa will energise multiple sectors of DRC's economy, cultivate rich and dynamic digital ecosystems, and furnish content distribution networks and cloud content providers with access to a quality peering location in the country." He further noted, "There has already been strong uptake from telcos looking to colocate in our facility, the banking sector is leading the way in adopting OADC solutions and OADC is attracting large international content providers to the DRC."
The unique converged open access digital infrastructure Proposition in the DRC
Converged Open Digital Infrastructure (CODI) – the provision of carrier-neutral, open-access data center facilities connected to resilient, hyperscale, open-access, subsea, and terrestrial networks – complemented by a rich, vibrant digital ecosystem, will invigorate the DRC's economy and expedite digital transformation in the country.
It will not only provide businesses with a feasible alternative to self-build and self-manage data center facilities, offering dedicated resources, expertise, and cost benefits, but also cater to the cloud infrastructure requirements of diverse businesses and enterprises, enhancing operational efficiency, expediting digitisation initiatives, and better servicing business and customer needs. Carriers will also reap the benefits, as OADC Kinshasa presents them with connectivity revenue opportunities and the chance to expand their service portfolios by incorporating managed colocation service capabilities.
