AFR-IX Telecom Partnership: AtlasEdge to Expand Connectivity

AtlasEdge has established a strategic partnership with AFR-IX Telecom to transform its Barcelona data centre into a critical connectivity node.

The agreement creates a new Point of Presence (POP) linking AtlasEdge's BCN001° facility with the AFR-IX Telecom-owned Barcelona Cable Landing Station (CLS). Aiming to provide customers in Barcelona with enhanced connectivity, the CLS is connected to multiple international submarine cables and serves as a key hub between the Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic.

AtlasEdge says integration with the hub via this new POP will see BCN001° become a critical node in this connectivity ecosystem. 

“This partnership with AFR-IX Telecom significantly boosts the digital infrastructure  and connectivity options in the region, making our Barcelona data centre a pivotal and  strategically important player in the Mediterranean connectivity landscape,” says Paul  Wiltshire, Interim Senior Vice President of Sales at AtlasEdge. 

“It’s also a partnership which will foster competition and carrier neutrality, improving the value proposition for our customers by offering more choices and better services.” 

Boosting bandwidth with data centre connectivity

The partnership between both companies aims to provide high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity. This is critical for data-intensive applications and services and could significantly enhance the resilience and redundancy of AtlasEdge’s network and even ensure continuous service even in case of route failures. 

A collaboration of this scale also opens new routes for AtlasEdge’s customers with subsea connectivity to key hubs in the Mediterranean Sea, including direct connectivity to Marseille. AtlasEdge will also further strengthen its presence in the Iberian Peninsula, a critical hub for transatlantic data flows and digital infrastructure.

In addition to its Barcelona BCN001 and Madrid MAD001 sites, AtlasEdge is developing a second Barcelona data centre and a 100% renewable data centre campus in Lisbon, Portugal. 

The latter is part of an ambitious growth strategy that will see the company invest more than €500 million (US$567.19bn) in Portugal. 

“Partnering with AtlasEdge reinforces our commitment to building a robust, carrier neutral ecosystem in Barcelona,” says Miguel Angel Acero, VP Operations at Barcelona CLS and AFR-IX Telecom. 

“By interconnecting our Cable Landing Station with BCN001°, we’re enabling faster, more resilient international connectivity and unlocking new possibilities for organisations relying on high-performance digital infrastructure across the Mediterranean and beyond.”

Expanding Iberian connectivity

The news of this partnership comes shortly after Spain and Portugal experienced a national power outage, reminding the data centre industry of the importance of operational resilience. 

Both countries have become hot real estate markets for the data centre industry in recent years. Currently in operation, Spain has 156 data centres and Portugal has 41.

Early in 2024, the data centre sector in Spain was predicted to have a very strong outlook by Research and Markets and is expected to grow from US$1.9bn (2023) to US$2.85bn at a CAGR of 6.99%.

The country’s location is a huge advantage, as the country’s submarine cables in the south help connect Europe to Africa. A strong number of technology companies currently invest in data centres in Madrid, including EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC, Microsoft, Pure DC and Prime Data.

Likewise in Portugal, Start Campus recently inaugurated SIN01, the largest data centre ever built and operated in the country. SIN01 is the first building of the 1.2 GW SINES Data Campus, a leading gigascale cloud, AI and HPC data centre campus. The facility boasts fully secured grid power and a ready-to-develop site.

Both AtlasEdge and AFR-IX Telecom are responding to a larger need through their partnership, as demand for edge computing and distributed digital infrastructure continues to climb.

Investments of this scale position both companies access to a broader range of telecommunications providers and services through a single connection point, simplifying network architecture and enhancing performance.

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