Data Center Hub Hessen: China Mobile International Expands Operations

CMI is the world’s largest mobile telephony provider measured by client numbers. According to the company, the new facility is an important addition to CMI’s global network and serves as an Internet data center for its international customers. It is the first data center that CMI has opened on the European continent. The company already had a sales office in Hessen.

Dr Li Feng, Chairman & CEO of CMI, explained: “Serving international customers, especially Chinese enterprises looking to expand in Europe, our new facility is helping confirm Frankfurt as a premier data centre hub.”

“The Rhine-Main region is an increasingly sought-after location for international investments in IT and digitalization. In recent years, the majority of FDI projects came from the software and IT services sector. This is probably due to the fact that DE-CIX, one of the largest Internet exchanges in the world, is located in Frankfurt. Frankfurt is also the most attractive city for data centers in the Germany/Austria/Switzerland region, according to a recent study by PwC and the German Data Center Association”, emphasized Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt, CEO of Hessen Trade & Invest (HTAI). “Our goal is to expand Hessen’s position as a leading European digital region. By expanding the digital infrastructure we are creating optimum conditions for international investors wanting to settle in the region and for adding value over the long term. We are therefore delighted that CMI has opened its new data center in Mörfelden.”

Dr. David Eckensberger, Head of International Affairs at HTAI, added: “The fact that CMI has set up operations here further expands our region’s position as a leading European data center and data management location. Hessen is already home to roughly 60 data centers, which can rely on its excellent telecommunications and Internet infrastructure.”

In the course of expanding its activities in Germany, China Mobile International took over an existing data center in Mörfelden. The company has announced that it will be investing approximately €80 million in the location and will initially create roughly 20 jobs.

China Mobile International is the international arm of state-owned China Mobile. The company has a presence at 180 locations around the world. Annual revenues in 2019 amounted to USD 108 billion. At present, CMI employs roughly 457,000 people worldwide.