Tawasul Telecom is to have a second Point of Presence (PoP) in the United Arab Emirates hosted by Equinix in its IBX DX1 data center in Dubai.

The Middle East-based telco will use its international Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) gateway to open new data routes to Dubai and offer its regional business clients more connectivity options.

The installation in Equinix's Dubai facility gives Tawasul Telecom access to 25 network providers.

Equinix's existing carrier customers will also be able to connect their IT infrastructure directly to Tawasul Telecom services.

The agreement creates Tawasul’s second point of presence with Equinix, after creating a Singapore PoP earlier this year.

Tawasul Telecom’s CEO Hani al Shaks said: “the increase in demand for communication and applications is driving the need for advanced telecom infrastructures to host and transmit data.”

“The opening of our second UAE Point of Presence at Equinix IBX in Dubai is another step in Tawasul Telecom 's strategic development," al Shaks said.

Equinix’s managing director for the middle east and north Africa, Jeroen Schlosser, said the addition of Tawasul Telcom's PoP will be a valuable addition to its regional carrier portfolio.

"Providing access to multiple networks on Platform Equinix will lower latency and improve application performance for carriers and enterprises looking to expand in the Middle East region," Schlosser said.

In June cloud service provider GoGrid joined Equinix’s Cloud Exchange, which is due to expand to 19 global locations by the end of 2014.

Currently it is available in 13 markets including Silicon Valley, Toronto, New York, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris.