The Competition Commission has approved a deal that will see Open Access Data Centres expand its local footprint through the acquisition of a portfolio of data centre facilities from NTT Data – subject to public-interest conditions.

The transaction involves Open Access Data Centres, through its subsidiaries OADC Propco and OADC Opco, acquiring certain data centre operations owned by NTT Data South Africa (previously Dimension Data). OADC Propco and OADC Opco are wholly owned by Open Access Data Centres (Mauritius), which in turn is controlled by Wiocc Group.

OADC already operates data centres in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, offering colocation, connectivity and related services. Through its parent group, it is also linked to an extensive network of terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure across sub-Saharan Africa – positioning it as a key player in the continent’s digital infrastructure ecosystem.

The assets being acquired comprise seven data centre facilities currently operated by NTT Data in South Africa. These are in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, East London, Bryanston and Parklands in Johannesburg, Gqeberha, and Umhlanga.

The transaction includes associated infrastructure and equipment, supplier and lease agreements, as well as the property on which the Parklands data centre is situated. The facilities provide a full suite of services, including colocation (racks and power), network and connectivity services, and data centre implementation and management offerings.

In its assessment, the Competition Commission concluded that the proposed transaction is unlikely to substantially lessen or prevent competition. However, to address public-interest considerations, the acquiring group has committed to implementing a “historically disadvantaged persons” (HDP) transaction as a condition of approval.