Press Releases

14 Sep 2011

NTT Communications Builds its First Financial Data Centre in Hong Kong

Enhancing the Competitiveness of Hong Kong’s Financial Sector by Offering Proximity Location and Ultra-Low Latency Solution Tailored for Next Generation Trading Strategies

(Hong Kong – 14 September 2011) NTT Com Asia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT Communications Corporation, held a Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony today for its new NTT Communications Hong Kong TKO Data Centre* as its first Financial Data Centre in Hong Kong. The Financial Data Centre will provide critical infrastructure designed to strengthen the city’s strategic position both as a global financial centre and as an Asian Information Communications Technology (ICT) hub.

Guests representing the HKSAR Government, Miss Elizabeth Tse, Permanent Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development (Communications & Technology), and Mr. Stephen Mak, Government Chief Information Officer, as well as Mr. Yuji Kumamaru, Consul-General, Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong, joined NTT Communications’ Mr. Akira Arima, President & CEO, NTT Communications Corporation, Mr. Kazunori Tanaka, President & CEO, NTT Worldwide Telecommunications Corporation and Mr. Takanobu Maeda, President & CEO, NTT Com Asia Limited in officiating at the ceremony.

“High frequency trading (HFT) now accounts for up to 70 percent of turnover in U.S. equity markets, according to press reports,” said Mr. Maeda. “Following this trend, Asian hedge funds, investment banks and other institutional investors are enhancing their IT infrastructure and adapting trading strategies to stay competitive in a trading environment where every microsecond counts. NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Centre’s unique features of proximity to the stock exchange, its Ultra-low Latency Solution and Tier IV ready infrastructure will play a critical role in enabling the financial community to stay ahead of the game and accelerate growth in the Asia market,” Mr. Maeda noted.

To be launched in 2013, the dedicated Financial Data Centre is expected to meet the most stringent requirements of mega financial services institutions eager to gain a competitive advantage from the facility’s unparalleled proximity and Ultra-low Latency Solution that facilitate electronic trading. The Financial Data Centre will be built adjacent to the new Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited’s (HKEx) Next Generation Data Center currently under construction in Tseung Kwan O. This extremely short physical distance between trading systems housed in the Financial Data Centre with the trading venue plays a critical role in low latency strategy.

In addition, by co-locating the cable landing station of NTT Communications’ Asia Submarine-cable Express** (ASE) and the network node of its global network, the Financial Data Centre will provide ultra-low latency connectivity among Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo with the shortest possible route among these three financial hubs. The connection is further extended to the U.S. with PC-1, the undersea cable with shortest route between the U.S. and Japan.

The Financial Data Centre will deliver the utmost level of reliability, redundancy and resilience with its Tier IV ready fault-tolerant infrastructure, which is capable of withstanding a critical incident like earthquake, fire or leak with no single point of failure. It also adopts modular design and is highly customizable for hybrid tiering to match with different business needs.

The strategic investment in the Financial Data Centre with an acquisition of 30,000 sq. metres of land clearly shows NTT Communications’ confidence in the market and long-standing commitment to providing premium ICT solutions for the fast-growing data centre business in Hong Kong and Asia.

“Hong Kong has significant advantages to be the prime location for data centres in the Asia Pacific region. Our institutional and geographical advantages, including proximity to the Mainland, business-friendly environment, sound protection of data privacy, reliable power supply, comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure, sophisticated submarine and overland cable systems for international communications, and low risk of natural disasters, put us in good stead. I am confident that Hong Kong will be able to meet the current and future challenges in the highly competitive global environment. And we all will keep up with the good work as a leading financial, trading and logistics hub in the region,” Miss Tse said.

According to a study commissioned by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer***, demand in Hong Kong for data centre services is expected to have substantial growth in the coming years.

Caption 1: Mr. Akira Arima, President & CEO, NTT Communications Corporation, welcomes guests and media to the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony for the new NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Centre. He reiterated that NTT Communications is committed to strengthen Hong Kong’s strategic position both as a global financial centre and an Asian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub.

Caption 2: Miss Elizabeth Tse, Permanent Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development (Communications & Technology), Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, HKSAR Government, congratulates NTT Communications on the historic milestone in the development its first Financial Data Centre in Hong Kong.

Caption 3: (From right to left) Mr. Takanobu Maeda, President & CEO, NTT Com Asia Limited; Mr. Stephen Mak, Government Chief Information Officer, HKSAR Government; Miss Elizabeth Tse, Permanent Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development (Communications & Technology), Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, HKSAR Government; Mr. Akira Arima, President & CEO, NTT Communications Corporation; Mr. Yuji Kumamaru, Consul-General, Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong; and Mr. Kazunori Tanaka, President & CEO, NTT Worldwide Telecommunications Corporation; officially lay the foundation stone for the new NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Centre.

Caption 4: (From right to left) Mr. Takanobu Maeda, President & CEO and Mr. Brandon Lee, Chief Strategy Officer of NTT Com Asia Limited, emphasize that the proximity location, ultra-low latency solution and infrastructure design of NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Centre facilitate the next generation electronic trading strategy of financial institutions.

* “NTT Communications Hong Kong TKO Data Centre,”. is also referred to as “NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Centre,” will be constructed and operated by NTT Worldwide Telecommunications.

** The cable landing station of NTT Communications’ Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) will be launched in 2012.

*** Source: Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. “Economic Benefit Analysis of Developing Hong Kong Into a Regional Data Centre Hub”, January 2011. http://www.ogcio.gov.hk/eng/pubpress/download/eeba-es-full.pdf

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