Tata Comm announce $430-mn investment plan

Mumbai: Tata Communications announced a $430-million investment plan for the Asia-Pacific region to set up a new Internet Data Centre in Singapore and complete the main segments of its TGN Asia Cable System.

This investment is part of the overall $2-billion investment to enhance its global infrastructure in the next three years.

Tata Communications Exchange, which is the name of the new data centre, and the cable system are part of the Tata Global Network, which includes advanced submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP platform and over one million sq ft of data centre and co-locations facilities worldwide.

To meet increasing outsourcing demands from global multinational corporations into emerging markets, the company has embarked upon construction of the flagship data centre, TCE, in Singapore.

“The new data centre will provide increased capacity for both domestic and international companies, allowing them to realise cost and resource efficiencies. The Singapore data centre is a key gateway location into the APAC region. Its integration into Tata Communications’ high capacity Tier-1 network enables the company to meet current and future IT infrastructure service demands of its customers,” Mr Vinod Kumar, President and COO of the company, told reporters in a video-conference from Singapore. The TCE is being developed in partnership with Mapletree Industrial Fund, a pan-Asian industrial fund. The centre will deliver co-location, managed hosting, managed storage and value-added services.

It also announced the completion of the main segment of its $250-million TGN-Intra Asia Cable System. The multi-terabit system spans 6,000 km connecting Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The company is also constructing a new TGN Eurasia System, linking Mumbai directly to Paris, London and Madrid via Egypt. This system will enable the company to offer seamless and diverse connectivity between India, South East Asia, South Africa, Western Europe and the US.

Mr Kumar said the investment will be raised partly through internal accruals and partly through borrowings.