AccessKenya and Tata Communications Sign Partnership Agreement to Launch Tier 1 Internet Point of Presence in Kenya

By Prne, Gaea News Network
Tuesday, September 8, 2009

MUMBAI, India -

- The Kenya IP PoP Will Link East African Users to Europe and South Africa as well as to Asia and India via the SEACOM Cable System

Tata Communications, a leading provider of a new world of communications, and AccessKenya Group, Kenya’s first publicly listed ICT company and leading corporate Internet service provider, today announced that they have signed a partnership agreement to establish a Tier 1 Internet Point-of-Presence (PoP) for Tata Communications in Nairobi, Kenya.

As a global Tier1 IP provider with 1.5Tbps meshed network built on 10G backbones, Tata Communications is one of the world’s leading carriers of Internet traffic. Tata Communications is also the number one provider out of Kenya for global internet connectivity to local carriers, service providers and mobile operators *. By building a PoP in Kenya, Tata Communications will be able to offer Internet and other service providers access to one of the most dynamically routed and high performance global IP networks for service delivery.

The IP PoP is configured to automatically offer redundant paths for Internet traffic going north towards Europe and southwards to South Africa well as to Asia and India over the SEACOM cable system. Should there be a fiber cut on the route to London, for example, traffic will be diverted through South Africa to ensure that customer services are not disrupted.

Besides resilience, service providers purchasing bandwidth from the Kenya PoP will be able to benefit from the higher speeds and direct links offered by the new connection. Previously, in order for service providers in Kenya to offer Internet links to Asia or South Africa, they needed to buy international fiber through a cable network to London, meaning all traffic would be routed through London rather than through a more direct route.

“We are delighted to have been chosen by Tata Communications to partner with them for the establishment of the first Tier 1 Internet PoP in Kenya ” said Jonathan Somen, AccessKenya Group Managing Director. “Tata Communications is one of the world’s largest carriers of international data traffic and for them to set up a PoP in Kenya puts us on the global connectivity map. AccessKenya has already signed up as the first customer on the jointly launched PoP to enable our customers to benefit from the new connectivity.”

Claude Sassoulas, Managing Director for Global Data Solutions at Tata Communications, said: “Tata Communications is well established in the African market and has been providing Internet access to ISPs for over 10 years in Kenya and other African countries, via the acquisition of Teleglobe. We are pleased to be able to draw on AccessKenya’s data expertise in the establishment of the PoP.”

* Renesys Market Intelligence - as of 2nd September 2009

About Tata Communications

Tata Communications is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.

The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs, and nearly 1 million square feet of data center and collocation space worldwide.

Tata Communications’ depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services, leadership in global international voice, and strategic investments in operators in South Africa (Neotel), Sri Lanka (Tata Communications Lanka Limited), Nepal (United Telecom Limited), and subject to approval by the Chinese government, China (China Enterprise Communications)

Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: TCL)

www.tatacommunications.com

About AccessKenya

The AccessKenya Group is Kenya’s first publicly listed ICT company. The AccessKenya Group comprises AccessKenya, Kenya’s leading Corporate ISP, Broadband Access (BLUE), one of Kenya’s largest Data Carrier Network Operators (DCNO), and now Openview Business Systems, one of Kenya’s leading IT services providers. The Group currently has over 2800 corporate leased lines across Kenya, over 1800 residential clients, employs in excess of 300 people and has offices in Nairobi and Mombasa with representation in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru and Nyeri.

The Group has also grown on average by 75% per year, for the last four years.

AccessKenya has numerous partnerships including Oracle, Cisco (Premier Partner), Motorola, IBM (Premier Business Partner) and Net App Gold Partner.

In 2008, AccessKenya was voted the Best ISP in Kenya while Openview was awarded the 1st runner up solutions provider of the year by Computer Society of Kenya. Other awards for AccessKenya include three awards at the COYA awards including Runner Up Company of the Year SME Sector, and two further COYA awards in 2007. Openview is ISO certified and has won the CSK IT solution provider of the year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The Group’s key products include Access@Home, @Home in Kenya Portal, Yello, GO, Broadband Max 2 and Bundu as well as numerous value added services including web hosting, collocation, disaster recovery, antivirus, Antispam, managed services, networking, software and IT services solutions.

AccessKenya Group has the largest Motorola Canopy wireless network in Africa, the largest Wi Max network in Kenya and has completed of one of the two largest metro fibre networks in Kenya - encompassing over 250 buildings in Nairobi.

Companies within the AccessKenya Group currently hold four licenses from CCK including DCNO, ISP, PDNO, and Local Loop Operator licenses.

Forward-looking and cautionary statements

Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications’ various filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, updates or alters its forward-looking statements

Media Contacts: Nancy Imunde Janice Goveas AccessKenya Group Tata Communications +254-755456 +91-92233-94575 nancyi@accesskenya.com Janice.Goveas@tatacommunications.com David Chin Hill & Knowlton +65-96945589 david.chin@hillandknowlton.com.sg

Source: Tata Communications Limited

Media Contacts: Nancy Imunde, AccessKenya Group, +254-755456, nancyi at accesskenya.com; Janice Goveas, Tata Communications, +91-92233-94575, Janice.Goveas at tatacommunications.com; David Chin, Hill & Knowlton, +65-96945589, david.chin at hillandknowlton.com.sg

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