TCL forecasts that Data Centre space will amount to 107,000 square metres in Africa as of the beginning of 2015, and is forecast to grow by 7 per cent per annum over the 5 year period from 2015 to 2020.
 
It discovers that new Carrier Neutral Data Centre space is being created for the first time since 2012 – with new high specification facilities introduced in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria & Tunisia, with higher pricing and high density applications. It also finds that the average size of African Data Centre facility has increased from 563 m2 (2012) up to 725 m2 (2014), but the average size remains smaller than in Europe or in North America.
 
TCL also finds that the new high quality facility space is creating higher average rack space pricing – with average pricing now costing USD $748 per rack per month across the African continent, as of the beginning of 2015.

 

 

Selected Data Centre providers in Africa are offering multiple facilities across different countries, including Internet Solutions (IS), MTN, Telkom and Vodacom. Providers such as IS and Telkom are expanding their geographical Data Centre coverage in Africa through acquisition, with Telkom in the process of acquiring ICT provider BCX which has its own Data Centre footprint.
 
But Carrier Based Data Centre facilities – owned by a Telecoms Provider – still accounts for almost half of all raised floor space in Africa, but space for the Carrier Neutral Data Centre segment is now increasing quickly from a relatively low base.
 
Average standard rack space pricing varies extensively according to facility type, with shared older colocation facilities typically having a lower monthly rate than for new high specification Data Centre space. 
 
TCL finds that Africa average rack space pricing can range from USD $663 per rack per month (Ghana) up to USD $885 per rack per month (Tunisia). But within each Country Market there is also a wide range of pricing, with rack space pricing ranging from as low as USD $500 per month up to USD $1,100 per month.
 
Lower rack space pricing is typically now available in markets like South Africa, where there are now multiple Data Centre providers and facilities present, offering different tiers of service, power and services which can be adapted to specific customer needs.