In the midst of the crisis, Marseille plays its strategic role as a digital hub

Networks and data centres are running at full capacity.

The French economy, which has been dealt a blow with the confinement measures imposed on its population, is still humming thanks to transportation, agriculture and telecommunications networks. The data centers that host data servers are in high demand, shining a spotlight on their strategic role. In this period of teleworking, conference calls and online learning and entertainment, Marseille is reaffirming its role as a digital hub during the crisis. Marseille already ranks among the world's top 10 most-connected cities and it continues to build digital momentum with massive investments by two international data center operators. Interxion and Jaguar Network, a B2B subsidiary of Iliad, agreed to discuss how they reorganized their teams during the health crisis, as well as their effective engagement and their vision of the future.

Though life has ground to a halt and Marseille seems to have been emptied of its residents since March 17, the city's telecommunications networks and data centers are running at full capacity, demonstrating their vital importance to France's economy.

Marseille holds a strategic position in the digital industry. The city has a concentration of network backbones that combine terminal and interconnection points. Jaguar Network and Interxion have invested several hundred million Euros in powerful data centers that are now being tested by the consequences of COVID-19. These infrastructures, which are certified health data hosts, ensure the continuity of utilities and health services, such as communication, connected objects, and telemedicine. Government services, academic networks, the French health agency (Agence France Santé), France's blood bank (établissement français du sang), hospitals and laboratories ‒ all their data flows through Marseille.

Enhanced capacity for healthcare

Given the increase in digital activity and the heightened burden on the infrastructure, the major digital telecommunications players are reorganizing to guarantee their clients' operational continuity.

As soon as the virus turned up in China, Jaguar Network boosted its computing and storage capacities on the "Atlas Healthcare" cloud platform. Each day, the company attracts an array of healthcare professionals and software publishers who want to offer their clients an online platform. "The consumption of servers and telecom networks doubled overnight. Our servers are burdened by additional loads," stresses Kevin Polizzi, Managing Director of the B2B division of Illiad and founder of Jaguar Network. Its plan to invest €100 million to build a 30,000 sq.m. secure digital campus by 2023 on the north side of Marseille to address cyberthreats will be delayed a few months because of the epidemic. But in the wake of this health and economic crisis, the project, which will create local jobs, takes on even greater importance.

Treating, teleworking and even entertaining through content delivery...

The cloud servers hosted by Interxion in Marseille are in extremely high demand. "Our data centers are responsible for distributing tons of content ‒ especially streaming (Netflix, Disney, Canal Plus, Daily Motion, etc.). The crisis highlights the strategic role of data centers like the ones in Marseille. The private networks of cloud operators (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc.) are experiencing spikes in activity. Azure, the Microsoft cloud platform, saw its traffic increase 900% in just three weeks. At the same time, Teams, the Microsoft video-conferencing app, grew from 50 million to 80 million connected users," explained Fabrice Coquio, President France of Interxion (Digital Realty).

This global health crisis is bound to bring about considerable changes in our behaviors. "There will be a pre- and a post-COVID. Companies in France and elsewhere are discovering the flaws in their business continuity plans. Many ISDs will have to learn from the lessons of this situation to prepare for the future," noted Fabrice Coquio.

The grand opening of Interconexion's MRS3 data center, initially scheduled for July 7, has been pushed at a later date. Construction was suspended because of the epidemic and is expected to resume in late April. As for MRS4, the construction permit will be filed in late June at city hall for an expected building delivery date sometime in the first quarter of 2022.

Marseille, where 14 underwater cables carrying 154 Tbits already converge, will see its capacity surge to 900 Tbits by the end of 2021 with the land connection of six more subsea cables, pushing the city into the 5th spot worldwide.