Huawei to Start Africa Data Center Services From March

Loni Prinsloo (Bloomberg) -- Huawei Technologies Co. plans to roll out services from its first data center in South Africa in March, as the Chinese technology giant seeks to expand in Africa amid an escalating global row over the security of its equipment.

The company is working with local partners to provide services from its first data center to support cloud services in the country in Johannesburg, with a second to follow in Cape Town, Huawei said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

The expansion comes as Huawei faces pressure from the U.S. administration, which accuses the Chinese firm of being a security threat and wants mobile operators to break off relations. Governments across Europe are weighing restrictions on Huawei, which says it’s privately held and doesn’t take orders from Beijing.

The furor poses a risk to a pain free roll-out of fifth-generation mobile technology, including in Africa. Huawei is the top global supplier of telecom equipment.