…As MTN pumps $120m on 2 data-based investments in Lagos

…Offers services on local currency

By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor & Juliet Umeh

MTN Nigeria, yesterday, extended its innovative tentacles in the Nigerian tech ecosystem with a double data related investment; unveiling a $120 million data centre and a unique cloud services platform to push Nigeria’s digital economy initiative.

Tagged Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre, and situated in the heart of Ikeja, Lagos, MTN appears to hit the bulls eye again, being about the first telecommunications company to do so in Nigeria.

The telco also showed some class by siting the centre in the centre of town where it will be closer to companies needing its services. The area will also make maintenance issues easy to be tackled because of its proximity to relevant engineers.

Recall that most, if not all other data centres are sited at sea-sides in the outskirts of the city.

Already Federal government and its agencies are falling over one another promising collaboration, apparently due to the level of investment and expertise the data centre boasts of.

The first Phase of the Tier III Data Centre and local cloud unveiled Tuesday, have a total of 4.5 megawatts IT load, which is easily expandable to higher megawatts within the shortest time possible.

The centre is said to be Nigeria’s largest pre-fabricated modular data, with 96 pre-fabricated containers, and a total rack capacity of about 1,500, which is fully modular in power and cooling, and it occupies three floors.

Unveiling the projects, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola revealed that MTN pumped over $120 million dollars into it and is still ready to put even more as it uses the projects to underscore its strategic shift from a telecom service provider to a comprehensive technology company, guided by its Vision 2025.

He said the vision is anchored on three key verticals: connectivity, infrastructure (epitomized by this data center), and platforms, including fintech and digital services.

Toriola, said the data centre would bring a lot of transformation to the Nigeria technology ecosystem, as its services will be offered through pay-as-you-use, and priced in local currency.

He said: “With the data centre launch, MTN is at the forefront of Nigeria’s digital space, and ready to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) needs across the country, as we expand the capacity of the data centre facility.

“In addition to that, the data centre will enhance Nigeria’s data sovereignty and ensure that local data are hosted in Nigeria and that the data are also protected from exposure and attacks.

“MTN is working closely with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to ensure compliance with data policy.”

Toriola promised that the data centre will help businesses, both large and small enterprises, to reduce cost of doing business, since businesses would be paying for the services in Naira.

According to him, the data centre will provide cost-effective solutions to businesses that will enable them to host their data in Nigeria, boost quality of service delivery, and comply with the NDPC policy on data sovereignty.

A visibly excited Chief Operating Officer of MTN Mr Ayham Moussa also added that the MTN cloud infrastructure will define define how Nigerians use data. He said that this is the time of global digital competition and MTN is at the forefront of driving that competition for Nigerians.

Already, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Tijani Bosun, Director Generals of National Information Technology Development Development Agency, NITDA, NIGCOMSAT, NOTAP, ONSA as well as the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC who were present at the event, pledged support and readiness for partnership to ensure the centre delivers digital dividends and ensures Nigeria’s data is hosted locally.

According to the DG of NITDA, Dr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, “This investment is setting a new benchmark for reliability and resilience. It is also setting a benchmark for data and infrastructure independence. The centre will also solve the digital and infrastructural deficiency problem Nigeria has been grappling with.

It will give Nigerian cloud users the competitive edge in the global economy. It aligns with several government policies aimed at inclusive services, digital sovereignty and making Nigeria a hub in Africa. For us on the government front, we are ready to collaborate with MTN in this” he added.