UAE-based multinational telecom services operator Etisalat has disclosed the opening of a third SmartHub location in Kalba, complete with a state-of-the-art Tier 3 data center facility, to meet rising demand and increase geographical diversity.
SmartHub Kalba is Etisalat’s third wholesale data center, following the launch of facilities in Fujairah and Dubai last year. The new data center will provide a geo-redundant ecosystem for global players to broaden their regional presence.
As per the company statement, the new facility is also selected to be the landing for Africa-1, a new subsea telecom system connecting Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. This gives SmartHub Kalba a pivotal role in catering towards facilitating faster connectivity to various global partners.
With the launch of its latest facility, Etisalat’s Carrier & Wholesale Services (C&WS) has set a benchmark in the region and is a testimony to the company’s strategy to ‘Drive the digital future to empower societies. It also aligns with the UAE leadership’s vision of continuing to lead as a regional ICT and data center, supporting the diverse needs of global telecom infrastructure.
Ali Amiri Group chief carrier & wholesale officer Etisalat
“As one of the biggest neutral carrier hotels, Etisalat’s SmartHub data centers will be an ICT bridge between continents always supporting critical business activities of global customers. SmartHub Kalba will enable us to increase our capabilities and global capacity to meet our international clients’ expanding needs for infrastructure across Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas. We at Etisalat are committed to making ‘SmartHub’ a preferred location for carriers, cloud service providers, Internet exchanges, and companies looking for carrier-grade data centers.”
The new facility, which will be operational by the first quarter of 2022, will provide a robust data center infrastructure that will evolve to meet potential demands, such as the landing of a new generation of submarines and serving as a disaster recovery hub for Etisalat’s customers in the Fujairah SmartHub.
