Open Access Data Centres (OADC) is set to strengthen its presence in South Africa through the acquisition of a portfolio of NTT data centers, following approval from the Competition Commission of South Africa (CCSA).
The transaction, approved last week, involves OADC affiliates — OADC Propco and OADC Opco — taking ownership of seven data centers currently operated by NTT Data South Africa.
The facilities slated for transfer are located in key cities including Bloemfontein, Cape Town, East London, Bryanston and Parklands in Johannesburg, Gqeberha, and Umhlanga. The deal encompasses not only the data center sites themselves but also associated infrastructure, equipment, supplier contracts, lease agreements, and the property hosting the Parklands data center, according to the CCSA.
The competition regulator expressed confidence that the deal is unlikely to significantly reduce competition in the relevant markets. Neither NTT, OADC, nor WIOCC — OADC’s owner — have issued formal statements about the transaction, although DCD has reached out for further details.
NTT’s presence in South Africa dates back to its 2010 acquisition of Dimension Data, which included a number of legacy facilities totaling around 10MW of capacity. The company expanded its footprint in 2021 with the opening of the first phase of a hyperscale-focused facility in Johannesburg, known as JOH1, which has a capacity of 12MW. Dimension Data, based in Johannesburg, traces its origins back to 1983.
OADC, founded in 2021 and owned by WIOCC — an African wholesale network operator — currently operates six hyperscale data centers and over 30 Edge sites across South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. In South Africa, OADC has facilities in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, and is actively deploying numerous Edge sites nationwide.
WIOCC, established in 2008, is a major player in the continent’s telecommunications infrastructure landscape, participating in several major subsea cable projects including EASSy, EIG, WACS, TE North, SEA-ME-WE 5, and the Facebook-led 2Africa cable system.
