Today our deal with Verizon is final, making this one of the most momentous days in Equinix history. By adding 29 new facilities, we’ve expanded our global data center footprint by nearly 20%. And as significant as that expansion is to our business, it will have an even bigger impact on our customers worldwide.
The demand for interconnection is soaring, and this acquisition further extends our ability to provide businesses with the direct and secure connectivity they need to expand their global reach in existing and new markets.
The deal gives us ownership of nearly all of Verizon’s North and Latin American data center portfolio, which served roughly 1,000 customers and covered 15 markets. Three of these markets are new to Equinix, and each has significant strategic importance:
- Bogotá is a submarine cable capital, a heavy consumer of international content, and offers new access to the northern regions of South America.
- Culpeper is a highly secure hub for government business and provides a foothold for our government cloud-enabled initiatives.
- Houston is an energy industry center and hosts a huge enterprise market.
But many of our new facilities are in 12 markets where Equinix already has a long-time presence, and the resulting benefits to the former Verizon customers who have become Equinix customers there can’t be overlooked. These businesses have new access to Platform Equinix™ and its interconnection capabilities, which span 175+ data centers in 22 countries. This means they now enjoy near instant connectivity to all the other Equinix facilities in the metro in which they’re currently deployed. In Dallas, for instance, there are six other facilities housing a combined 125 network providers. In Los Angeles, they can access four other data centers that host 250 companies, each a potential partner or customer.
Additionally, these new interconnection opportunities extend far beyond their existing metros. Equinix is in 44 markets globally. Now, our new customers can be there too, giving them the flexibility to get closer to all their important constituents with greater connectivity, or to explore opportunities in new markets.
Platform Equinix is also home to 9,500+ global customers worldwide. They populate a range of industry ecosystems we’ve cultivated inside Equinix including: network (1,500+ providers globally), cloud and IT (2,750+) and financial services (1,000+), among others. Our customers can directly connect to companies in these ecosystems for collaboration, innovation, or to buy and sell services. In short, Platform Equinix opens up significant new business opportunities around the world for these former Verizon customers.
Here are some of the other key benefits of the deal:
- Massive interconnection in Miami: Our newly acquired data center in Miami, MI1, is one of the world’s largest internet exchange points and a critical gateway to Latin America. The sprawling six-story, 750,000 square foot facility in downtown Miami hosts a broad choice of network providers and offers access to the Department of State’s Diplomatic Telecommunications Service. It also provides a route for data traffic from the Caribbean and South and Central America to more than 148 countries worldwide.
- A blockbuster advantage in Brazil: Just months after we opened our third data center in Sao Paulo (SP3), the largest multi-tenant data center in the Latin America, this deal adds even more capacity in Brazil with our fourth Sao Paulo data center (SP4). SP4 is a network, financial and cloud hub in Latin America and hosts two internet exchanges. Equinix was already Brazil’s largest retail colocation provider, and SP4 gives our customers even more options.
- A powerful partnership: The deal with Verizon has expanded an already vital partnership. Last month, Verizon agreed to resell Equinix colocation and interconnection services in a move that looks to capitalize on both companies’ strengths, including Equinix’s global reach and Verizon’s advanced communication services. In the post-deal landscape, we expect current and future customers of both companies to benefit from increased or new access to Verizon and Equinix services and solutions.
The close of the acquisition of Verizon’s data centers is in many ways a new start for Equinix and the 250-plus former Verizon employees we’ve welcomed into the Equinix family. But today also continues our journey to increase opportunity for our customers through interconnection – a journey we’ve been on since we opened our doors 19 years ago. Today we’re proud to mark another major milestone in our quest to honor that commitment, and we’re excited about what comes next.
Read more about the deal here.
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