• CRA has contracted optical connectivity for Prague Gateway DC with SITEL, Quantcom, TTC, Energtel and ČD Telematika
  • The connection combines upgraded CRA routes, partner infrastructure and newly built routes, with some sections complete and others still under construction

The fact

České Radiokomunikace, or CRA, said that it had contracted the complete optical connectivity planned for its Prague Gateway DC data centre. SITEL, Quantcom, TTC, Energtel and ČD Telematika are participating in the network work. Some sections have already been physically completed, while others remain under implementation.

The network is intended to connect Prague Gateway DC with CRA's Prague backbone, including its DC Tower and CeCOLO nodes and other locations in the city. CRA is using several approaches: adding capacity to existing routes, buying or taking long-term leases on partner infrastructure and installing new optical cable, and jointly constructing new routes.

Prague Gateway DC is under construction in Jíloviště near Prague. CRA has previously said the project will have more than 2,000 racks across 12 data halls and a 26MW power supply, with customers expected to begin using the site in 2027.

The assessment

Contracting the fibre is only one stage in making the data centre reachable. CRA is assembling the external network from routes that differ in ownership and delivery status, so completed CRA infrastructure has to be coordinated with leased assets and sections that partners are still building.

Before customer traffic can use those paths, the remaining civil works and cable installation have to be finished, connections into CRA's backbone have to be commissioned and the different routes have to be tested as part of the operating network. Having several suppliers does not by itself establish full physical diversity because routes can still share ducts, entrances or other infrastructure that has not been disclosed.

For BTW readers, the next step is therefore not another connectivity contract but the commissioning of the routes already contracted. Prague Gateway DC will need those external paths working alongside the facility itself before customers can rely on them in live service.

What to watch

Watch for completion and commissioning of the remaining fibre routes, activation of connections into DC Tower, CeCOLO and other CRA nodes, and any disclosure on physical route separation and building entry points. The first customer activations in 2027 will show whether the external network is ready when the data-centre capacity enters service.