Former South African Internet Pioneer Sells Seven Data Centres in Major Deal
South Africa’s competition watchdog has conditionally approved the sale of seven local data centres formerly operated by NTT Data, marking a significant shift for one of the country’s oldest internet and IT companies.
The assets will be acquired by Open Access Data Centres (OADC), a Mauritius-based data centre operator with an expanding footprint across South Africa.
Competition Commission Clears Deal With Conditions
The Competition Commission confirmed that the transaction is unlikely to substantially reduce competition in any relevant market.
However, to address public interest concerns, OADC has committed to implementing a transaction involving historically disadvantaged people (HDPs) as part of the approval conditions.
Following completion, ownership of the facilities will transfer to OADC Propco and OADC Opco.
Locations of the Data Centres Being Sold
The deal includes seven NTT Data South Africa data centres, located in:
Bloemfontein
Cape Town
East London
Bryanston
Johannesburg (Parklands)
Gqeberha
Umhlanga
The transaction also covers associated infrastructure, equipment, supplier contracts, lease agreements, and ownership of the Parklands Data Centre property.
Notably, the sale does not include NTT Data’s newest and largest facility, the 12MW Johannesburg 1 data centre, completed in 2024.
OADC Expands Its South African Presence
OADC already operates multiple data centres in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, offering colocation, connectivity, and managed services to third-party clients.
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of West Indian Ocean Cable Company Holding Company Limited, a long-distance terrestrial and subsea fibre network operator.
A Look Back at Dimension Data’s Legacy
NTT Data South Africa traces its roots to Dimension Data, founded in 1983 by Keith McLachlan, Werner Sievers, Jeremy Ord, Peter Neale, and Kevin Hamilton. The company listed on the JSE in 1987 and became Cisco’s official distributor in South Africa in 1991.
By 2009, Dimension Data was generating roughly US$4 billion in annual revenue. In 2010, Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) acquired the firm for £2.1 billion, making it the most valuable company ever listed on the JSE at the time.
NTT later merged Dimension Data with NTT Ltd., rebranding the business as NTT Data in 2023.
Why the Sale Matters
The transaction reflects ongoing consolidation in South Africa’s data centre market while highlighting the continued evolution of a company that helped shape the country’s internet and enterprise IT landscape.
0 Comments