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Cofinity Group, Inc. partners with leading African data centre providers, enhancing Africa's digital infrastructure and driving economic growth. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Cofinity Group, Inc. (CGI), a leader in the data center industry for over 15 years, announced strategic Channel Partnership Agreements with leading data center providers in Africa, including PAIX Data Centres, Rack Centre, Raxio, and Digital Realty

These agreements included Digital Realty’s African entities: iColo, Teraco, and Digital Realty Nigeria. Collectively, these data centre providers operated in markets that accounted for over 75% of Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP across 11 countries.

Collectively, these data center providers operate in markets that account for over 75% of Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP across 11 countries.

The accelerating pace of technology adoption and digitisation in Africa is driving the demand for highly secure data center facilities with exceptional levels of power availability, redundancy, and connectivity. "CGI is in a unique position to help enterprises secure and optimise their mission-critical applications in key African markets with experienced, trusted data center operators. We have had the privilege of working with the leading data center providers in Africa and we are confident that enterprises will benefit from our deep knowledge and streamlined commercial processes," said Ray Lawless, president of CGI.

“Cofinity Group’s initiative is further evidence of the surging demand in Africa for the services of data center companies. We welcome CGI’s role in bringing together key sectors, such as Fintech, with data center providers in Africa, continuing the transformation of Africa’s digital infrastructure and accelerating economic growth,” said Ayotunde Coker, chairman of the Africa Data Centres Association.

Enterprises opting for a colocation solution can secure their mission-critical operations in a cost-effective manner, benefiting from the data center’s robust infrastructure and connectivity, while also allowing for future growth with access to expansion space and increased power capacity. CGI’s extensive experience in various markets and close relationships with these data center operators provides a unique opportunity to assist enterprises looking to migrate to a quality colocation data center solution in Africa.

Schneider Electric and IXAfrica launch East Africa’s largest hypercloud data center, ‘NBOX1’, with cutting-edge tech and sustainable design. (Image source: IXAfrica)

Schneider Electric, a leader in digital transformation for energy management and automation, has joined forces with Nairobi-based IXAfrica Data Centres to unveil East Africa’s largest and first hypercloud data centre

Known as ‘NBOX1,’ this Tier 3+ facility is now operational and offers a carrier-neutral, AI-ready environment. It stands as the most advanced digital infrastructure in East Africa for cloud, colocation, and connectivity, designed to attract hyperscale and internet customers with a user experience on par with North America and Western Europe.

Future-ready data centre

The NBOX1 launch is supported by Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centres architecture, ensuring maximum resilience, uptime, cost efficiency, enhanced security, and alignment with IXAfrica’s sustainability goals.

The new data centre, backed by a US$50mn investment from leading firm Helios, is situated in Africa’s burgeoning technology hub, the ‘Digital Savannah,’ serving over 300 million people and fostering innovation with its skilled workforce and diverse services.

Snehar Shah, CEO of IXAfrica, remarked, “Kenya is a hypercloud-ready region with advanced cloud adoption propensities, a digitally savvy ecosystem, access to diverse internet fibre connectivity, high-availability and low-carbon sources of power. This all sits within a country offering a stable regulatory and political environment, and a strong economy forecast to grow 5.2% in 2024.”

To meet the critical requirement for dependable IT operations, IXAfrica selected Schneider Electric for their power train solution, including power protection and distribution equipment, transformers, MV and LV switchgear, and a basic BMS for monitoring. Schneider Electric collaborated with local consultants Prisma Techniques and ensured compliance with IEC standards and local grid requirements, considering Kenya’s unique environmental conditions.

Ifeanyi Odoh, Schneider Electric country president in East Africa, stated, “The solutions provided by Schneider Electric are engineered to support N+1 redundancy with four independent power trains, meeting IXAfrica’s immediate and long-term objectives, including design 1.25 PUE across the campus, as well as a 99.999% uptime guarantee.”

With renewable energy sources introducing variability, the integration of lithium-ion batteries with the Galaxy VX UPS addresses challenges associated with supply stability.

Designed as a ‘Data Centre of the Future,’ NBOX1 benefits from Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centres, which enhances performance, resilience, and resource efficiency while supporting IXAfrica’s sustainability goals through energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions.

Mouna Essa Egh, secure power vice-president for Middle East & Africa, commented, “We believe that sustainable practices are essential for the future of data centres, and we are proud to partner with organizations like IXAfrica to create environmentally conscious and innovative digital habitats for the evolving technological landscape.”

“We have a very strategic relationship with Schneider Electric – in fact, our new Nairobi campus site is built on land formerly part of Schneider’s complex, and the power engineering for the site was designed by Schneider’s local partners. NBOX1 is sustainable by design, and our goal is to ‘Keep it Africa’ - our switchgear and panelware were all manufactured by Schneider Electric on our own doorstep,” shah added. 

“We’re delighted to partner with Schneider Electric, a company that not only shares our ethos and passion for the environment but is also committed to ensuring that IXAfrica and its clients meet their operational and sustainability goals,” shah concluded.

The new 5G towers can connect up to 10,000 users and offer speeds at least ten times faster. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Vox, a leading internet service provider, has recently launched its 5G service in South Africa to deliver high-speed connectivity and outstanding performance

Unlike 4G, which supports 200 to 400 users per tower, the new 5G towers can connect up to 10,000 users and offer speeds at least ten times faster.

With a wide network of 5G towers nationwide, Vox is providing South Africans with advanced, cost-effective connectivity aimed at enhancing and transforming consumer and business services.

“Our offering is designed to be competitive on both pricing and service delivery, ensuring customers can experience the exceptional speeds and capabilities of 5G within a well-developed, reliable network,” remarked Chris Boshoff, senior product manager at Vox. The service significantly enhances Vox's range of solutions, offering essential 5G services tailored to customer needs.

Offering speeds ten times faster than LTE, 5G boosts performance across various sectors including gaming, home entertainment, business, and manufacturing. The low latency of this solution is crucial, as it improves data transfer times between devices, accelerates network data traversal, supports real-time transactions, and enables advanced technology solutions across multiple sectors.

“The value of low latency cannot be understated,” commented Boshoff. “It is an essential ingredient in delivering real-time data analytics and decision-making and it is central to the capabilities of next-generation voice, video, and gaming solutions.”

In manufacturing, 5G enhances the functionality of the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). For businesses, it facilitates remote or hybrid working models by providing employees with exceptional connectivity outside the office. Organisations can also use 5G to boost their AI, automation, IoT, and data analytics strategies, ensuring data transfer speeds that enable real-time insights and system management. Additionally, remote working, video conferencing, and eSports benefit from increased speed and reliability.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge the significant impact 5G is going to have on the eSports industry,” stated Boshoff. “It’s a growing segment in South Africa that’s accessible to all levels of the community and drives both inclusion and growth. South Africa is a pool of fresh, untapped talent that’s poised to drive advancements and engagement in eSports.”

The introduction of 5G connectivity through the Vox network paves the way for business growth, transformed consumer service delivery, access to innovative services, and an attractive investment environment.

“Connectivity is one of the core drivers of growth and the economy,” concluded Boshoff. “Our introduction of 5G forms part of our commitment to supporting a thriving economy and connected community.”

The Vox 5G solution is available in all major cities and other densely populated areas, with over 45% population coverage as of the end of April 2024.