Airtel to invest Rs 5K crore to scale up data centre business

Communications solutions provider Bharti Airtel on Thursday said it plans to invest Rs 5,000 crore to scale up its data centre network.

Accordingly, the investment will include setting up new data centre parks in key metro cities.

Besides, the company unveiled a refreshed brand identity for its data centre business ‘Nxtra by Airtel’.

“With 5G around the corner, a fast growing digital economy, enterprises transitioning to cloud and local data storage regulations, India is witnessing a strong demand for reliable data centre solutions,” the company said in a statement.

The Indian data centre industry is expected to more than double its installed capacity from an approximate 450 MW to 1,074 MW by 2023.

According to Ajay Chitkara, Director and CEO, Airtel Business: “Airtel has built the largest data centre network in India and we are now doubling down on this business to scale up our network that will be at the core of 5G and Digital India.”

“Our experience of operating secure data centres, deep brand trust in the enterprise segment and the ability to deliver end-to-end digital transformation solutions positions us well to serve the emerging requirements of India’s connected economy. The new brand identity embodies this vision and ambition.”

At present, ‘Nxtra’ by Airtel has the largest network of data centres in India.

Currently, it operates 10 large and 120 edge data centres located across India and manages critical submarine landing stations.

It offers secure and scalable integrated solutions to global hyperscalers, large Indian enterprises, startups, SMEs and governments.