One of the key reasons for customers using for JK1 has been its an enhanced premium connection to the Indonesian Internet Exchange. Part of this expansion will bring in additional carriers to the carrier neutral data centre. These additional carriers will improve customer options and are being achieved through a partnership with Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII).
This is latest growth by Equinix in the Asia Pacific region, following their acquisition of Bit-Isle in Japan. The doubling in size, in such a quick time, is an indication of the growth in demand for services in Indonesia as customers look not just to expand their footprint but also their connection options.
Marina Budiman, CEO, DCI Indonesia commented: “Our partnership with Equinix has helped to fast track the expansion of JK1 and has bolstered our commitment to bringing in more carriers to further enrich network density. We will be collaborating with the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) for direct peering connection to the IIX. This will provide companies looking to expand or establish themselves in Indonesia with more opportunities to interconnect with other service providers to help grow their business.”
Companies looking to use JK1 can already take advantage of the Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers across strategic global markets via existing major network providers. It will be interesting to see whether these latest connections also helps Equinix persuade more cloud service providers to connect into Equinix’s global interconnection platform. With the acquisition of Telecity and Bit-Isle, Equinix are now able to reach more than 40 markets globally and this may be a first step in a wider plan to reach deeper into Asia.
Clement Goh, managing director, Equinix South Asia commented: “The phase two expansion of JK1 does more than just cater to ongoing demand from our financial services customers. Access to IIX will provide greater connectivity for customers, especially cloud and content providers, who will benefit from interconnection to other network providers. JK1 has long been known as a leading data center for both technical and operational excellence. This expansion will cement our commitment to customer needs by providing them with direct access to established business
Conclusion
While this might be an announcement that is tactical, increasing capacity to meet the demands of the local market means it feels larger than that. The additional connections Equinix is bringing into JK1 are likely to be more than just providing options for customers. One reason is that new or targeted customers require these carriers to have connectivity in order to start using the data centre or it might be part of a wider plan.
Certainly with the acquisition in Japan completed one cannot help looking to see what is the next target for Equinix. The press release stated that target markets include cloud and finance. It may be that increasing carriers in JK1 will make it attractive for financial institutions in Indonesia and elsewhere start to consider the company as a viable option.
