Tata Leases Digital Realty Facility in UK

Tata Communications will lease data center space in a Digital Realty Trust facility in the UK, the two companies said today. Tata Communications, the telecom and hosting arm of the India-based business conglomerate Tata Group, is in the midst of a global expansion of its data center operations.

Tata leased the space through Digital Realty's Turn-key Datacenter program, which offers customers finished ”plug and play” raised-floor data center space. The turn-key model shifts the data center development costs from the tenant to the landlord, and allows for much quicker deployment than if the customer built a new facility on its own. That’s been an attractive offering in the current economy, with companies seeking to conserve capital.

The turn-key approach also offers companies to expand much more quickly, according to Bernard Geoghegan, Senior Vice President for International Operations at Digital Realty Trust. "With Digital Realty Trust's Turn-Key Datacentre, Tata Communications is able to utilize the facilities within weeks of signing the lease agreement, far ahead of the normal industry standards," said Geoghegan. "Because we build more data centres than anyone else in the world, companies that select us as their datacentre partner benefit from our unmatched experience, economies of scale and financial stability."

"This partnership allows us to significantly enhance our position as a data centre services provider within the UK and European market, and provides us with the ability to meet the current and future services needs of our customers in this market," said Abid Qadiri, Vice President, Data Centre Services for Tata Communications.

Tata's data center footprint spans more than 1 million square feet in 35 facilities, including data centers in the United States in New York, Santa Clara, central New Jersey, and Los Angeles. Tata Communications was previously known as Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), and is the largest hosting and telcom provider in India. The company acquired a global submarine cable network with its 2004 acquisition of Tyco Global Network.

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) is a real investment trust focused on the data center industry. The company owns 75 properties comprising 13.0 million square feet in 27 markets throughout Europe and North America.