Brazilian telco Embratel says it plans to build 15 Edge data centers across Brazil.
Embratel head of digital solutions, Mário Rachid, told BNAmericas that three Edge facilities are being built this year and another 12 should be built in 2022.
They will be built in various areas between Manaus, in the north of the country, and the south and southeast of Brazil. Demand for Edge facilities is being driven by clients in the retail and industry 4.0 segment, he said.
Rachid added the company, part of Claro and ultimately owned by Mexican telco group América Móvil, also plans to expand one of its six main data centers. Work on the facility in the Lapa neighborhood of São Paulo will start next year. Embratel has another data center in São Paulo as well as data centers in Rio, Vitória and Brasília.
Embratel expects to invest 50 million reais ($9.2m) in the projects.
Brazilian freight railway Rumo recently chose Embratel and Nokia to provide greater connectivity between its rail fleet and control center. Rachid told BNAmerica’s the company also has a number of projects in progress in the metals and agriculture sectors, mainly via its satellite solutions.
Embratel’s Star One D2 satellite launched into orbit last month to expand the company’s broadband coverage in Central and South America. The new system joins Embratel's fleet of five geostationary satellites - Star One D1, C1, C2, C3, and C4.