SENEGAL – Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms, has partnered with telecoms company Orange Middle East & Africa (OMEA) to expand its cloud footprint in Africa.
The partnership will roll out AWS Wavelength to Morocco and Senegal later this year, enabling startups, enterprises, and public organizations to securely process and store data locally, leverage AWS services for digital transformation, and build low-latency applications.
This initiative marks the first deployment of AWS services in countries without physical AWS infrastructure, like data centers. Instead, the services will be hosted in Orange’s data centers, enabling local data processing and storage.
AWS Wavelength integrates AWS compute and storage services within telecom providers’ data centers at the edge of the 5G network, reducing latency and enabling customers to access AWS services with the benefit of data residency.
This is particularly significant for regulated industries such as telecom, finance, healthcare, and the public sector, which require local data hosting due to stringent data residency requirements.
“Customers of all sizes and all industries in Morocco and Senegal will be able to access local AWS compute and storage for data residency, low latency, and security needs for applications across real-time gaming and regulated industries, helping customers unlock innovation and accelerate digital transformation,” Jan Hofmeyr, Vice President of EC2 Edge at AWS.
The African cloud market is on a growth trajectory, with the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) sectors expected to grow by 18% annually, reaching US$13 billion by 2028, according to McKinsey.
This expansion is driven by increasing demand for faster computing from the banking, telecom, and healthcare sectors, which require robust and secure local data hosting solutions.
The AWS Wavelength Zones in Morocco and Senegal will allow startups, enterprises, and public organizations to leverage AWS services for digital transformation.
By processing and storing data locally, businesses can ensure compliance with data residency regulations while benefiting from AWS’s scalability, security, and reliability.
The partnership between AWS and Orange aims to foster innovation and digital transformation in Africa.
“The announcement of AWS Wavelength Zones for North & West Africa is a major achievement in our strategy to foster the cloud transformation of African businesses,” Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.
“We are providing the benefits of AWS to Moroccan and Senegalese organizations, from SMBs to MNCs, while ensuring data residency in secure Orange data centers in combination with our best-in-class connectivity solutions.”
AWS Wavelength enables developers to support a variety of use cases, from real-time gaming to applications in high-trust, regulated industries.
The deployment of AWS Wavelength Zones will provide local businesses access to advanced cloud services, helping them innovate and compete in the global market.
In March this year, Orange Middle East & Africa (OMEA) signed an agreement with Microsoft through the Africa Transformation Office to offer Microsoft solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East (MEA).
Through the collaboration, Microsoft and Orange aim to support 15,000 businesses throughout 2024 and reach 1 million SMEs by providing access to technology, tools, and support to accelerate adoption.
The goal is to promote digital inclusion and enable all economic players in the MEA region to benefit from the advantages of digital transformation. To this end, the initiative will also include micro-businesses and the education sector.
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