DataBank closes buy of zColo U.S., UK assets

Dec. 22, 2020
The purchase agreement, announced this past September, also includes zColo assets in France; a separate closing for those assets is expected in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary conditions and approvals.

DataBank and Zayo Group Holdings announced last week the closing of the sale of Zayo’s zColo assets in the U.S. and the UK to DataBank. The purchase agreement, announced this past September, also includes zColo assets in France; a separate closing for those assets is expected in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary conditions and approvals (see "Zayo to sell zColo data center business to DataBank").

The deal expands DataBank’s colocation, connectivity, and managed services offerings while enabling Zayo to focus on the provision of fiber network services. DataBank now owns 60 data centers across 28 markets in the U.S. and UK, and will add five more in France when the deal is fully consummated. The zColo acquisition complements DataBank’s strategic investment in EdgePresence, which brings edge data center resources via modular facilities.

“DataBank has now assembled a unique portfolio of data center infrastructure and network interconnect options to address customer workloads anywhere from Tier 1 markets to the far edge,” comments Raul K. Martynek, DataBank’s CEO. “With an open interconnect architecture and virtually unlimited geographic options, we are poised to help our customers in the U.S. migrate their workloads and adapt to the next evolution of the internet: the hyper-localization of data and compute being unleashed by 5G networks.”

“With the close of the zColo-DataBank transaction, Zayo is able to focus 100% of its attention on its core Network business and customers,” added Steve Smith, CEO of Zayo. “Today, Zayo has an unparalleled depth and breadth of fiber assets across the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe through which it serves many of the world’s most impactful companies. The close of this transaction will allow us to take Zayo to the next level -- better aligning our resources around network quality, customer service, innovative solutions, and expanded reach.”

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.

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