Japanese telecommunication service provider Telehouse - a KDDI Group subsidiary - announced earlier this week the launch of its data center in Cape Town, South Africa. The company leased space from the local colocation provider Teraco.

Telehouse equipment in Cape Town came online Wednesday, according to a KDDI statement. The facility brings the number of Telehouse locations around the world to 14. The sites are spread over eight regions and nine cities.

Teraco built the Cape Town facility in February - touting it as the first carrier-neutral data center in South Africa. The company is currently building a second data center in Johannesburg and talks are in progress for Telehouse to locate some of its infrastructure in that facility as well.

The South African telecom and data center market has recently been undergoing a major transformation, following de-monopolization of the telecom infrastructure sector and entry of new players.

Teraco was one of the first companies to ride the wave of growth in the market. It secured capital for the Johannesburg facility in July, when South African private equity group Treacle Private Equity and other investors agreed to invest $6 million into the company. Total area of the new facility is 38,000 square feet, which company plans to build out in phases.