NTT Communications will acquire 86.7 percent stake in e-shelter, a data center services provider in Germany.
The acquisition will move the NTT Com group into the # 3 position for data center space in Europe. NTT Com is trying to benefit from the data center growth in Europe. IT research firm Gartner says the EU data center market is growing at 9 percent per year.
NTT Com currently operates data centers in the UK, France, Germany and Spain. e-shelter’s six data center locations in central Europe will complement NTT Com. e-shelter is managing nearly 90,000 square meters of data center space in four major cities in Germany, as well as Zurich, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria. Globally, NTT Com operates more than 130 secure data centers.
One of its main facilities, Campus Frankfurt 1, Europe’s largest data center with some 60,000 square meters of data center space, comprises five free-standing buildings constructed specifically as data centers.
“We look forward to expanding our share of the EU’s ICT market in partnership with this potent company. We will continue to invest in data centers to help our clients secure their data,” said NTT Com President and CEO Akira Arima.
e-shelter will benefit from access to NTT Com’s world-class global data center, cloud and network service infrastructure. The company will also enjoy enhanced financing capabilities for accelerated capital investment in the continental EU region, where it aims to fulfill the diverse ICT needs of its large customers.
Customers of e-shelter data center services include enterprises in finance, communication networks, ICT services, government, healthcare and digital media.
Following the acquisition, significant minority stake will be retained by Investa Holding, a German real estate developer in which e-shelter founder and CEO Rupprecht Rittweger owns a controlling interest.
