Nairobi-based colocation datacentre provider icolo.io has implemented state-of the-art network infrastructure solutions from global infrastructure specialist Siemon at Kenya's first carrier neutral co-location datacentre.

In a statement icolo said the hyperconnected Tier III development located in Miritini, Mombasa, "has been spurred by the enormous growth in internet and mobile phone usage across East Africa and an explosion of digital data accelerating demand for data hosting and co-location datacentre facilities in the region."

The company said the datacentre provides over 550m2 of IT space and 675KW of IT load to 226 cabinets to serve telecom carriers, ISPs, IT, global cloud and content providers, as well as enterprise and financial services institutions.

It added that Siemon was selected as the supplier of choice for its comprehensive IT infrastructure solutions set, datacentre design expertise and local product availability through distribution partner Mart Networks.

Ranjith Cherickel, CEO and co-founder at icolo.io, said, "We particularly value the high quality that Siemon's products are known for throughout the world. Their products also meet the high standard that we set for the physical layer foundations of our facility."

According to Cherickel the datacentre is strategically positioned to serve as a key gateway to Africa from a connectivity perspective as it is based close to the landing station for all of the undersea cable operators and the international network hub for internet traffic in the region.

Power usage

icolo.io selected V600 datacentre cabinets from Siemon which flexibly support any range of equipment depths and help improve datacentre energy management with high density perforated doors providing up to 71% perforation for increased air flow.

With power usage effectiveness (PUE) and energy costs being important considerations for the facility, icolo.io chose a cold aisle containment solution that enables targeted cooling to active equipment. It allows higher temperature return air to improve the efficiency of existing cooling systems and reduce energy costs.

"The network cabling infrastructure relies on pre-terminated trunking assemblies including category 6A F/UTP copper trunks from Siemon's Z-MAX range and plug and play fibre assemblies using OM4 multi-mode and OS2 single-mode cable. Siemon's pre-terminated trunks, which are manufactured and tested in a clean factory environment, offer guaranteed performance levels and can help reduce installation time by up to 75 percent compared to field-terminated links. With modular patch panels that accommodate both single-mode and multi-mode fibre, as well as copper connectivity icolo.io provides its customers with a highly flexible solution," according to the company's statement.

Iyer Sivakumar, territory manager for Africa at Siemon, said, "icolo.io have been a great example of how technology, market foresight and coordinated planning can result in a state-of-the-art colocation facility being readily available in Africa. We are confident that this facility is now fully equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure capable of supporting global businesses with zero down-time. We are delighted to have been selected to work with icolo.io on this project as a key colocation project for the region."

Cherickel added: "We are very proud to have partnered with Siemon to develop a truly carrier neutral datacentre in the heart of the African digital economy. With our new co-location datacentre, we have now changed the landscape, enabling our customers to bring content closer to their users and Siemon's high-performance infrastructure solutions have been fundamental in achieving this."

In September 2018 the Africa Data Centre Association (ADA) was launched in Zimbabwe to support the country's migration towards a digital economy.

ADA Chairman Dunny Derera said, "In spite of the importance of datacentres to the African economy, datacentres are still underexposed in the media, politics, governments and society. We believe the datacentre industry deserves a proper representation in these fields. That's why we are launching the ADA - the trade association for datacentres in Africa."

"The new association will provide the first organisational body for African operators, a valuable resource supporting industry best practice, an outstanding networking platform for the exchange of information and ideas," he added.