T-Mobile to Consolidate at Wenatchee Site

Executives of T-Mobile say they will consolidate their entire national data center network into a new 200,000 square foot facility being built by Sabey Corp. in central Washington state. The wireless company launched construction Thursday on the data center in East Wenatchee, Washington, which will be part of Sabey's Intergate.Columbia multi-tenant data center complex.

"When we grow, we will grow here," said T-Mobile's Senior Vice President Robert Strickland, who added that he hopes to "begin operating at least a part of the new center by Thanksgiving." That would equal the 11 months it took Microsoft to open its facility in nearby Quincy, Washington.

Strickland said T-Mobile chose the Sabey site for its "protection from flooding" and other natural disasters. That's an acute concern for T-Mobile in the wake of the heavy rains last month in the Seattle area, which flooded T-Mobile's data center in Bothell, Wash., affecting customer activations and the performance of the Tmobile.com web site.

Sabey announced the Intergate.Columbia project in August 2006. The company's plans call for two data centers totaling approximately 380,000 square feet of space, along with a 75,000 square foot office building.