China Mobile International Limited (CMI) announced that construction of the China Mobile Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Hong Kong Fo Tan Data Center (Fo Tan Data Center) is now underway. Being built by CMI in Fo Tan, Hong Kong, with the Mainland as the hinterland, the new facility is expected to be operational in 2025. It will be an important part of a core data center cluster for the GBA, serving as an international communications hub to facilitate global connectivity.
Fo Tan Data Center will directly link to China Mobile's other five self-built core data centers in the GBA and connect to the world via five international submarine cables and five core cross-border terrestrial cable systems. The new infrastructure will further enhance China Mobile's value in self-owned data center network, cross-border connectivity resources, and local 5G and fibre optic network.
China's 14th Five-Year Plan emphasizes the need to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub, accelerate the building of an integrated national system of large data centers, with the GBA and other national hubs and nodes as preferred locations for new data center clusters. With the new Fo Tan Data Center, CMI is supporting Hong Kong's development and empowering the intelligent digital upgrade of the GBA and provide a strong foundation for digitalization across the region.
"Data centers are an important communication infrastructure for the development of digital economy and smart cities. In order to promote Hong Kong to become an outstanding data center hub in the Asia-Pacific region, the HKSAR government has also actively introduced preferential measures for data center development in recent years. China Mobile International has invested in this 1 million square foot site in Fo Tan. The large area of the industrial site signifies the active investment and great confidence of the communications industry, especially from China Mobile, in the development of its Hong Kong's data center business," said Carrie Lam, The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Yang Jie, chairman of China Mobile, sent his congratulations to mark the ground-breaking ceremony, saying that the company sees the construction of the Fo Tan Data Center in Hong Kong as an opportunity to fully promote new infrastructure, integrate more new elements, and stimulate new momentum to help enhance Hong Kong's status as an international information hub and support the vigorous development of the digital economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
"China Mobile places great emphasis to the development and future roadmap of Hong Kong. We are committed to enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international information hub and promoting the integration of 5G into Hong Kong's diverse industries. The groundbreaking ceremony of the Fo Tan Data Center has opened a new chapter in China Mobile's history in Hong Kong. In the future, it will further strengthen Hong Kong's 'new infrastructure' advantages, add more digital intelligence to Hong Kong's economic development, and make a greater contribution to Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of our country." said Dr. Li Feng, chairman of China Mobile International and China Mobile Hong Kong.
Since its establishment in Hong Kong in 2010, CMI has ramped up its deployment of network resources to drive the digitalization of the city's infrastructure. Following the opening of the China Mobile Global Network Center in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong in 2014, Fo Tan Data Center will be the second self-owned data center built by CMI in Hong Kong. The new facility will provide local and international users with seamless access to "massive" integrated services, spanning 5G communications, cloud, AI and edge computing, and other advanced technologies, enhancing Hong Kong’s position as a global hub of innovation and technology.
CMI continues to accelerate the development of a global Intelligent Network, leveraging its extensive submarine and terrestrial cable systems, Points-of-Presence (PoPs), and internet data centers. CMI currently has four self-owned data centers: the Global Network Center in Hong Kong, Singapore Data Center, London Data Center, and Frankfurt Data Center. It has over 70 terrestrial and submarine cable resources worldwide, with a total international transmission bandwidth of over 100T and 180+ PoPs. Combining these resources, CMI provides global access with ample bandwidth, flexible connectivity and comprehensive one-stop services, accelerating the development of networking infrastructure worldwide.