JOHANNESBURG/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to offer cloud computing in Morocco and Senegal using its AWS Wavelength platform in partnership with Orange, the firms said on Wednesday.
This will be the first time the services will be available in any country without physical AWS infrastructure such as data centres, with Orange set to house the services in its data centres.
Increased demand for faster computing from banks, telecom firms and healthcare firms is attracting cloud operators to Africa, where the cloud market is expected to grow by 15% on a yearly basis to reach $18 billion in 2028, according to data platform Statista.
Data consumption is also rising, boosting the need for secure local data hosting.
The AWS infrastructure allows customers across regulated industries that require data to remain local, such as the telecom, finance, public and healthcare sectors, to deploy and run applications locally.
"Customers of all sizes and all industries in Morocco and Senegal will be able to access local AWS compute and storage for data residency, low latency, and security needs for applications," AWS Vice president Jan Hofmeyr said.
AWS is the largest player in the global $270 billion cloud infrastructure market but has limited presence in Africa, where it operates in countries such as South Africa.
Cloud computing depends on a stable telecom network and about 30 operators in 17 markets across Africa have launched 5G services. Ten other African countries have announced 5G plans, according to telecoms association GSMA.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla in Johannesburg and Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; editing by Jason Neely)
By Nqobile Dludla and Supantha Mukherjee
