In today’s digital world, the demand for fast, seamless global connectivity is rapidly rising. Telxius CEO Mario Martín discusses how the company is connecting the Americas to Europe with next-generation submarine cables, digital hubs, terrestrial backhaul and a range of services covering IP, capacity, security and colocation.
What connectivity demands are you seeing in the EMEA region and how is Telxius evolving to meet changing needs?
Submarine cable operators have to add value on top of their infrastructure investments to serve the growing needs of hyperscalers, other over-the-top players and carriers. A-to-B connectivity is no longer enough to keep up with today’s demands for fast, direct and seamless communications no matter the location.
To meet this demand, we have radically transformed our network over the last few years. Five years ago, 90% of our revenues were concentrated in a single submarine cable system, SAm-1, which has served our customers for a long time. Well aware of the need to diversify and evolve the network, we put together a strategic roadmap to develop our infrastructure and associated network services.
In following this plan, we have deployed seven new next-generation systems on both sides of the Atlantic. Our network has more than doubled in size, now spanning more than 82,000km of high-capacity fibre-optic subsea cables. Our robust set of next-generation cables – Marea, Brusa, Dunant, Tannat, Junior and Mistral, soon to be joined by Tikal – fully serve the Americas and Europe with improved connectivity and faster data transmission.
What other infrastructure has Telxius deployed to meet changing communications and data needs?
Telxius combines its next-generation subsea cables with terrestrial backhaul systems and advanced communications hubs like the company’s Derio Communications Hub near Bilbao in northern Spain and Virginia Beach Communications Hub in the US.
Overall, the Telxius network features 15 communications hubs that connect to the world’s main data centres. This infrastructure is combined with onward terrestrial connectivity to key communications hubs across Europe, plus Latin America, and Central and North America, meaning we can give customers greater control and resiliency over the service experience.
This terrestrial connectivity significantly improves the ratio of services delivered on our own infrastructure and guarantees a high quality of service for customers across EMEA and beyond. As a result, we are now the wholesale operator with the largest network in terms of capacity and redundancy in the markets where we operate.
Why are digital hubs so important for extending subsea cable services in the EMEA region and the Americas, and how is Telxius serving demand with its own hubs and colocation services?
EMEA is home to many key markets – and with more businesses expanding across both sides of the Atlantic, it’s more important than ever to have digital hubs connecting subsea cables to onward terrestrial routes.
For example, Spain is becoming a key digital hub due to its subsea cable connections and ideal position linking the Atlantic, North Africa and Europe, with easy access to the Mediterranean. It provides a pathway into emerging and developed markets, with a stable and open business environment that is attracting attention from businesses across the EMEA region and the Americas. Our Derio Communications Hub in northern Spain is therefore serving such demand.
On the other side of the Atlantic, our Virginia Beach Communications Hub, which provides direct access to the Marea, Brusa and Dunant subsea cables, has a direct backhaul connection to Ashburn, the location of one of the world’s largest concentrations of data centres, and to Richmond. Communications hubs also offer a one-stop shop for a wide range of IP, capacity, colocation and security services.
How do the European digital hubs of Telxius also serve its customers in Latin America, and what types of customer are choosing its hubs?
Our digital hubs in Europe and the Americas connect our submarine cables across the Atlantic and beyond, so that customers in Latin America can benefit from opportunities across the EMEA region. We are now focused on developing new communications hubs to be added to our digital infrastructure. Some of our main current hubs are in locations including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Barranquilla in Colombia, and Lurin in Peru.
Enterprises, hyperscalers, carriers and service providers choose Telxius to connect their customers, partners and platforms globally. Some of our customers at the Derio hub in Spain include Arelion, Colt, EXA, Sipartech, Lyntia and Euskaltel.
What’s next for Telxius in the EMEA region and what role does the company want to play in the market?
Across the EMEA region, we are constantly assessing where to expand, based on market insights and customer requirements. We’re also exploring new subsea routes to stay ahead of the curve.
In addition, we keep enhancing our international terrestrial network in EMEA and beyond, complementing our subsea cable offering. Our Barcelona-Marseille-Paris connection is currently in the works, which is an exciting development.
Our vision at Telxius is clear: we want to be the best global provider of digital infrastructure based on submarine cables.
