REPRESENTING 25 BELL DATA CENTERS

Equinix has just announced the completion or close of its acquisition of 13 data center facilities in Canada and their operations from BCE Inc. (Bell) in an all-cash transaction that amounted to  US$780 million (CA$1,041 million).

The transaction was first announced in June, when Equinix entered into a definitive agreement with Bell to acquire these Canadian data center portfolios. As reported earlier, the 13 data center facilities represent 25 Bell data center infrastructure. This is because, Equinix counts a building (including a building that has had multiple phased expansions over time) as a single “data center” while Bell counts each expansion within a building as a separate data center.

“This acquisition complements and extends Equinix’s strategy of expanding our global platform and enhancing cloud and network density to offer enterprises a path to digital success. It also provides a unique opportunity for Equinix to expand its presence in the Americas and positions Equinix as a leading digital infrastructure provider in Canada,” said Jon Lin, President, Americas, Equinix.

“Further, it strengthens relationships with Canadian enterprises, many of which prefer local credentials and have multi-metro requirements, while enhancing relationships with global businesses looking to operate in the Canadian market.”

The acquisition of these data centers brings-in more than 600 customers, of which about 500 are new to Equinix, and adds approximately 1.2 million gross square feet of data center space to the company’s footprint. According to Equinix, the 13 acquired data centers are expected to generate approximately US$112 million (CA$150 million) annualized revenue.

Equinix also announced the appointment of Andrew Eppich as Managing Director, Canada. In his six years with Equinix, Eppich has led teams in Canada and the Northeastern U.S., and has most recently completed a two-year assignment in Europe, leading teams in the United Kingdom and Germany. Prior to joining Equinix, he served for 13 years at HPE, Inc. in Canada in sales and channel leadership positions.