Orange to build data center for Egypt's 'new capital'

Orange Group's enterprise division, Orange Business Services, has announced that it will design and build a new data center to provide cloud and smart services for Egypt's newest smart city and what is being called the country's "New Administrative Capital."

Orange Egypt will supply the required infrastructure and services, following its appointment as the project's prime contractor by Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) – owner and developer of the New Administrative Capital.

The ACUD project has been in the works since 2015 and is being designed as a smart sustainable city located 45 kilometers east of Cairo on a greenfield site, covering a total area of 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) midway to the seaport city of Suez.

According to the plans, it will become the new administrative and financial capital of Egypt, housing the main government departments and ministries, as well as foreign embassies, with a population of around 8 million people.

"It is expected to be one of the largest centers in the Arab world and Africa, with investments of more than $135 million, and aims to enhance data and host all smart city platforms of the Administrative Capital in a secure and integrated way," said Hisham Marhan, Orange Egypt's chief enterprise line of business officer.

Orange said the services offered by the data center are planned to start on schedule, in the first half of 2021.

Once implemented, Orange Egypt will also manage and operate the new data center to host and run smart services for the private sector, as well as citizens of the new city, for five years.

Orange Business Services said that the smart city services will include traffic management, management of smart utilities (such as electricity, water and gas supply), video surveillance and smart building services. Also included are innovative solutions, such as cloud-on-demand for companies and triple-play services for residents.