Originally posted on SubTel Forum Magazine
By: Fernando Borges Azevedo, Head of Connectivity, Start Campus
A remarkable transformation is underway in Sines, Portugal. As data consumption surges, a new frontier for expansion and global connectivity is emerging in Portugal, a country that is strategically positioned to capitalize on it.
Our increased reliance on global cloud services, streaming services, social media platforms, and high-speed internet has elevated subsea connectivity and data centers to a pivotal role in our digital world, where exponential demand has become the norm. In response, data center operators and developers must look to new locations and innovative designs to meet rising demand. Start Campus’s SINES Project — a 495 MW hyperscale green data center campus, is creating a perfect opportunity for Portugal to rise above the crowd as the new European hub for digital migration and transformation.
Start Campus, a Portugal-based sustainable data center provider for hyperscalers, is positioning itself at the forefront of what is becoming known as the “European Atlantic Hub,” a confluence point for subsea-to-terrestrial telecommunications cables linking North and South America, Europe, Africa, and onward to the Middle East. This juncture has ushered in a heightened spirit of collaboration among service providers, positioning Portugal as a strategic hub that has become increasingly attractive to data center operators as well as subsea cable providers, terrestrial operators and other providers of digital infrastructure. According to TeleGeography, used international bandwidth connected to Portugal is forecasted to increase five-fold from 2022 to 2029.
For decades, Portugal has maintained a prominent role in the realm of subsea connectivity, though it was somewhat diminished by the proliferation of new subsea fiber connections in the early 2000’s that connected to other landing points in the UK and mainland Europe. Today, however, Portugal is rapidly becoming the “digital gateway” to Europe, particularly as it lies further south than the typical route to the UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe, a crucial distinction in light of building moratoriums in locations such as Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris — the so called FLAP-D markets. While other global markets vie for supremacy in the digital infrastructure landscape, Portugal’s prospects are especially promising as the new European Atlantic Hub.
Spain has already secured the landing of a modern subsea cable connecting the United States in Bilbao to the North, and more recently new subsea systems have landed in Barcelona to service the Mediterranean, EMEA and Asia, signaling the time-sensitive nature of investment decisions in this arena. Seizing this opportune moment, Sines, Portugal — in particular — is positioned to consolidate its global standing if colocation and data center operators can follow the imperative to set down roots in the area. Portugal must emphasize its transparent, neutral, and secure submarine cable hub capabilities, fostering collaboration among international service providers if it is to seize the opportunity at hand.
To continue reading the full article, please click here.
