Rostelecom, Russia’s national telecom operator, announced yesterday the acquisition of a majority stake in SafeData (LLC Data Storage Centre), a leading operator of commercial data centers, traffic exchange services and content delivery.
In a first stage, Rostelecom will acquire a 5.4% stake in LLC Data Storage Centre for 104.2 million rubles (approximately $1.6 million at the current exchangerate); then the operator will invest an additional 1.73 billion rubles ($26.7 million) to increase its stake to 50.1%.
Simultaneously, Safedata will increase its stake in MSK-IX, a leading Internet traffic exchange platform, to 51%. Established in 1995, MSK-IX provides peering services to ISPs and Internet businesses in Moscow and eight other major Russian cities.
Rostelecom thus intends to strengthen its nationwide content storage and distribution network.
“As a result of the deal, Rostelecom will become a leading player in the Internet exchange points (IX) and content delivery (CDN) segments. Rostelecom will also become Russia’s second largest data center provider with a 12% consolidated market share,” the operator stated, citing 2013 data from IKS-Consulting.
“SafeData fits in with our overall strategy with its positioning as the only player in the market to combine data processing centers, traffic exchange and content delivery. This acquisition will allow us to provide our clients with an integrated offer and ensure leadership in data services,” commented Rostelecom President Sergey Kalugin.
Sources: Rostelecom, CNews.ru
