SEACOM, Raxio partner to launch Ugandan carrier-neutral data centre

14 November 2019 | Jason McGee-Abe

Pan-African service provider SEACOM has teamed up with Raxio Data Centre to launch a carrier-neutral, enterprise-grade data centre in Uganda.

The news comes after SEACOM launched its enterprise connectivity and cloud solutions in Uganda earlier this year. Raxio Uganda’s facility, which is scheduled to launch in Q1 2020, will become the cornerstone of digitisation in the country, “enabling customers to seamlessly cross-connect within the data centre”.

“This partnership with Raxio Uganda will be key as we drive to expand our business in this important market,” said Tonny Tugee, MD of East Africa at SEACOM (pictured), who was appointed in March 2019.

“Raxio Uganda’s new enterprise-grade facilities will ensure the delivery of a full range of services, in a stable, ‘always-on’ environment, to our customers in Uganda. We’re also excited about the potential to extend our relationship outside of Uganda, further augmenting the geographic reach and network infrastructure we can offer our customers.”

As the global carrier partner, SEACOM will drive the internet in Uganda closer to businesses, aiming to offer affordable, reliable and quality internet connectivity – highlighting the mutual benefit of the partnership.

At full capacity, Raxio Uganda will be able to accommodate up to 400 racks and deliver 1.5MW of power, in a fully redundant, high-security environment.

Raxio Uganda was established by First Brick Holdings, which is its parent company, as the first of its network of state-of-the-art data centres across the region. As an open-access data centre, Raxio Uganda will offer a wide variety of connectivity options, providing diversity and flexibility for SEACOM’s customers.

Robert Mullins, executive director at First Brick Holdings, added: “Bringing SEACOM on board is a testament to the growing recognition of Raxio Uganda as the go-to partner for cross-connects, delivering robust enterprise-grade, open access data infrastructure, optimised and deployed to meet our customers’ needs. We are also delighted with the opportunity to explore new opportunities to work together in the broader region”.

The new data centre, which is currently under construction, will operate according to Tier III standards facility and is set to be completed in Q1 2020.

Earlier this year, SEACOM announced that it was planning on doubling its lit capacity on its subsea segment and is currently in talks to become involved in a number of African cable system projects being planned by Google and other cable operators.