We know that earlier this year Angola Cables launched its AngoNAP data centre in Fortaleza, Brazil. What was the key driver behind opening this facility?
The launch of the AngoNAP data centre was driven by two key factors. Firstly, this opened us up to a market in the Brazilian northeast region, bringing this area into our existing international network. The second reason was the possibility of facilitating the growth of local Brazilian digital content aggregators.
AngoNAP is a carrier-neutral, Tier III data centre, owned and managed by Angola Cables in Brazil. This adds to our suite of data centres, namely AngoNAP Luanda, Angonix (which is the biggest Angolan IXP) and DNS .AO. In Angola, almost all of the telecommunications operators and many of the main agents in the domestic digital market are supported by AngoNAP. The national banks and multimedia agents are also present at the busiest data centre in Angola.
The AngoNAP Fortaleza is designed to accommodate the growing demand in content data transmission in the region.
How is this new data centre adding to Angola Cables’ ecosystem of services? Is the goal to eventually provide end-to-end connectivity?
Along with SACS, AngoNAP allows Angola Cables to offer a complete suite of high capacity data services that are tailored to the specific needs of CSPs. Other benefits include multiple connection services for operators and those businesses that require high capacity data services.
As part of its varied offerings, AngoNAP can host international submarine cables, backhaul providers, content providers and CDNs across Latin America. Anticipating the future, Angola Cables has also ensured that it can also receive future cables that land in Fortaleza and provide multiple connection services for operators or businesses requiring high capacity data services. AngoNAP also offers scalability, continuous connectivity, host and cloud services for local and external entities. The facility has an energy redundancy capacity of 12.5 MVA and currently has 1,000 scalable racks offering customers a 99.98% service availability standard, offering operators more stability and reliability.
AngoNAP offers cable systems and customers the option to host their data or content via cloud services or inside the data centre directly. In combination with the low latency provided by SACS, AngoNAP will meet the rising demand for media-rich content in the global digital economy and improve links for trade, commerce, inter-government cooperation for both Africa and Latin America.
SACS offers faster connectivity between the Americas and Africa and benefits communications service providers by enabling operators, OTT vendors and CDN’s to reach multiple international network and facilitating the efficient exchange of local IP traffic between them.
Are there plans to build any more data centres at any other landing points?
No at this point in time, but you never know in the future.
Now that the site is live, what are the next steps in the lifecycle of the AngoNAP?
This data centre features all the conditions required to welcome organisations intending to store their services, equipment and content. It has been designed to expand, serving clients in accordance with their needs.
In accordance with growing demands in northeast Brazil, AngoNAP Fortaleza is scalable up to a maximum of 3.000m2 of rack space.
Angola Cables is also using SACS to look eastward and open up further connections with East Africa and Asia. This will have a tangible impact on telecommunications in the southern hemisphere by helping to meet the continued growth in demand for IP services, DWDM backhaul and cross-African networks.
Not simply creating infrastructure in an area where there was previously very little, the unique and future-proof design of SACS means that, as this communications service delivery technology develops, it can be connected to further-reaching systems in the future for even greater connectivity across the globe.
What are the strategic priorities for Angola Cables as a whole as we kick of H2 of 2019?
Since its launch last year, SACS have made a considerable improvement to connectivity in the global south, acting as a catalyst for the expansion of internet exchange points and cutting data traffic time and reducing costs for operators.
With the company infrastructures now ready and our network fully operational, our main focus is maximising its usage with new and existing customers. As we move forward into the second half of 2019, Angola Cables want to continue to offer operators, OTT vendors and CDN’s new options to quickly reach multiple international networks, allowing local IP traffic to be more efficiently exchanged, both locally and regionally.
The Southern Hemisphere has some of the world’s lowest levels of connectivity; access to fast, stable and secure internet remains a luxury for many. Recognising this, Angola Cables remains committed to driving connectivity in the Southern Hemisphere to improve economic development and technological growth.
