Equinix has launched a data center in Oman.

The company this week officially opened Salalah in partnership with local telco Omantel.

The facility – known as SN1 – is to be commercially and operationally managed in full by Equinix as a carrier-neutral and open-access Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data center.

Set to host 125 racks in phase one, the site is also a subsea cable landing station.

Kamel Al-Tawil, managing director of Equinix for the MENA region, highlighted the facility’s importance: “I’m delighted to inaugurate our latest strategic data center, further showcasing our investment in Oman and the wider Middle East. With extensions to multiple subsea cables, this new hub in Salalah will transform global connectivity across different continents and aligns perfectly with our strategy of creating network-dense, highly interconnected ecosystems globally."

In 2022, Equinix said it was building a data center in Salalah in partnership with Omantel, following a similar partnership for a project in Muscat.

Omantel announced the launch of the facility back in August, but at the time the site was not listed as live on Equinix’s website.

In its Q3 2024 results this month, the company gave the green light to a phase two expansion of the site, which will add 125 racks by Q2 2025.

Talal Al Mamari, CEO of Omantel, added: “Today, we are announcing another major milestone through our partnership with Equinix. The launch of the SN1 data center is a cornerstone of our strategy to create a global connectivity hub in Salalah. We are committed to attracting the world’s leading content providers and hyperscalers to the region, and this state-of-the-art data center is a key part of this vision. By next year, we plan to land multiple subsea cables in Salalah, solidifying its status as one of the most connected hubs in the region due to its location at the crossroads of major international routes between Asia, Europe, Africa and all the way to Australia.”

This is Equinix’s second facility in Oman, following the launch of MC1 in Muscat. SN1 has direct fiber connectivity to the Muscat site.

Founded in 1970, Omantel is majority-owned by Oman Investment Authority (OIA), a wholly-owned investment arm of the Omani government. It has investments in more than 20 subsea cables and five landing points in the country.

Ooredoo is also developing a data center in Salalah, located on Oman's south coast.