Digital Realty, the leading global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions, announced today the expansion of its interconnection platform, ServiceFabric®, to Nigeria.

The platform will be natively deployed at Digital Realty’s LOS1 and LOS2 facilities in Lagos, ensuring low-latency, high-performance connectivity for enterprises in the region and beyond.

This strategic expansion reinforces Digital Realty’s commitment to enabling seamless global interconnectivity for businesses, providing enterprise customers in Nigeria with the ability to connect whenever, wherever, and to whoever they need to.

The presence of ServiceFabric® in Lagos will support the growing demand for hybrid IT and multi-cloud connectivity, empowering businesses with a secure, software-defined interconnection platform.

As part of Digital Realty’s broader vision to support digital transformation across Africa, this deployment is a significant step in an ongoing ServiceFabric® expansion across the continent. Future rollouts are planned to bring additional access points across Africa, enabling enterprises to interconnect with partners, clouds, and networks seamlessly.

The timing of this deployment aligns with a surge in digital activity across Africa. The continent’s digital transformation market is projected to grow from approximately USD 23 billion in 2024 to USD 46 billion by 2029, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% , underscoring the accelerating demand for advanced connectivity solutions.

In Nigeria specifically, national initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program and the Broadband Alliance reflect strong government support for enhancing digital skills and infrastructure – further highlighting the country’s critical role in Africa’s digital future.

“The launch of ServiceFabric® in Nigeria marks a significant milestone in our mission to build a truly globally connected digital economy,” said Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Realty. “By deploying ServiceFabric® natively in our Lagos facilities, we are ensuring businesses in Nigeria have access to the same best-in-class interconnection capabilities as enterprises in major digital hubs around the world.”

Explaining further, Engineer Ikechukwu Nnamani, Managing Director, Digital Realty Nigeria, stated the launch of ServiceFabric® in Nigeria is a direct response to the call by the Federal Government towards availability of global infrastructure in the country thereby enhancing localization of content and bringing global platforms into the Nigerian ICT ecosystem.

By a direct connectivity into the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), the IXPN will be able to peer with other global exchanges thereby enhancing the quality of service delivery to Nigerian companies and service providers.

ServiceFabric® is already available natively in more than 160 Digital Realty facilities and over 500 third-party facilities through strategic partnerships, including with Megaport and the recent collaboration with Console Connect. These partnerships help extend the reach of the platform, providing enterprises with a truly global, interconnected ecosystem.

ServiceFabric® is a next-generation interconnection solution designed to simplify and streamline connectivity between enterprises, cloud providers, and network partners. With integration points to Digital Realty’s Private AI Exchange (AIPx), it also paves the way for secure and efficient AI workload connectivity, further future-proofing enterprise infrastructure.

Key benefits include:

• Seamless multi-cloud connectivity – direct, secure access to major cloud providers with access to more than 280 cloud on-ramps globally, ensuring optimized performance and security.
• Global reach, local performance – enterprises in Nigeria can connect with business partners and digital services across PlatformDIGITAL®, Digital Realty’s global data center platform consisting of 300+ facilities across 50+ cities in 25+ countries.
• Scalability & flexibility – businesses can scale their interconnection needs on demand, adapting to changing IT and network requirements.
• Enhanced security & reliability – a private, software-defined platform that reduces exposure to public internet risks and improves network resiliency.

MTN Group, has alerted stakeholders that it has encountered a cyber security incident that resulted in unauthorised access to some customers’ personal information in specific markets.

The company, however, stated that its core network, billing systems, and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully operational. On Thursday, MTN Group disclosed that an unknown third party has claimed to have accessed data linked to parts of its systems.

“At this stage, we do not have any information to suggest that customers’ accounts and wallets have been directly compromised. The Group immediately activated its cybersecurity response processes, including informing the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Hawks in South Africa,” it said.

The group said it has informed relevant country authorities and will continue to update them while working closely with them and law enforcement agencies. “We are in the process of notifying affected customers in compliance with local legal and regulatory obligations,” the operator said.

So far, MTN Nigeria, the group’s largest market by subscriber base, is unaffected by this attack, according to insiders.

MTN Group further advised all its customers to remain vigilant and follow regular security measures, such as keeping their MTN, MoMo, and banking apps and devices updated.

“Use strong, unique passwords for accounts and change them regularly. Be cautious of unexpected messages and do not click on suspicious links. Do not disclose information such as passwords, PINs and OTP when asked to do so by phone, text message or email. Where multifactor authentication is available, it should be activated,” it added.

This attack on MTN reflects rising cyber activity on the continent. Africa had the highest average attacks globally at 3,286 in the first quarter of 2025, according to Check Point Software.

South Africa had the most dramatic rise, with a year-on-year increase of 69 percent to 1884 attacks per week. The telecoms sector also experienced the highest percentage increase globally, with a 94 percent jump, reaching 2,664 attacks per week.