Telehouse North

Telehouse North
Name	Telehouse North
Location	Docklands, London
Status	Operational
Opened	1990s
Owner	Telehouse / KDDI
Network	LINX, DE-CIX, Euro-IX, Equinix

Telehouse North Telehouse North is a major colocation and carrier-neutral data centre complex in the Docklands area of London. It functions as a critical interconnection hub for international carriers, content delivery networks, financial trading firms, and cloud providers including multiple peering exchanges and submarine cable landings. The site has played a role in the development of London's role as a global internet exchange point, hosting infrastructure for telecommunications operators, media companies, and enterprises.

Overview

Telehouse North occupies a strategic position near the River Thames and the London Docklands Development Corporation regeneration area, adjacent to transport links such as Canary Wharf and London City Airport. The facility is part of the Telehouse portfolio operated by KDDI, serving as one of the principal hubs in the United Kingdom alongside Telehouse East and Telehouse London. Its carrier-neutral stance attracts operators like BT Group, Virgin Media O2, Colt Technology Services, NTT Communications, and global cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Telehouse North interconnects with internet exchanges including the London Internet Exchange (LINX), DE-CIX London, and supports customer links to regional exchanges and submarine systems.

History

The facility was established during the rapid expansion of London's telecommunications infrastructure in the 1990s and early 2000s, contemporaneous with projects like Thames Water infrastructure upgrades and Docklands redevelopment driven by the Docklands Light Railway. Telehouse North developed alongside major carriers such as Cable & Wireless, British Telecom, and MCI Communications as demand for colocation surged after deregulation initiatives in the UK telecom sector. Over time, ownership and management consolidated under international operators, culminating in acquisition by KDDI, which expanded services to accommodate peering growth seen at exchanges like LINX and Euro-IX. The site has supported major events in London's digital infrastructure timeline, including expansions tied to financial market connectivity for institutions on Threadneedle Street, Bank of England, and trading venues like London Stock Exchange and CME Group access nodes.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Telehouse North features multiple secured halls with raised floors, redundant power plants, diesel generators, and uninterruptible power supply systems designed to meet stringent availability targets sought by banks and service providers. Cooling systems include chilled water and precision air conditioning similar to deployments at Equinix LD8 and other hyperscale campuses. The site offers meet-me-rooms, cross-connects, and structured cabling suites enabling rapid interconnection to carriers such as Level 3 Communications, Tata Communications, Telefonica, and Orange S.A.. Physical security employs multi-factor access control systems coordinated with surveillance technologies comparable to those used by HSBC data centres and major cloud regions. The building adheres to standards often requested by tenants, facilitating compliance with audit regimes used by Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank.

Connectivity and Network Services

As a primary peering and transit hub, Telehouse North supports direct connections to submarine cable systems landing in the UK, linking to networks spanning Transatlantic communications, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The facility hosts high-density fibre distribution, wavelength services, and cross-connect provisioning for content delivery networks such as Akamai Technologies, Cloudflare, and Fastly. Internet exchange participants include LINX, DE-CIX, and regional exchanges, enabling interconnection for providers like AOL, Verizon Business, NTT, and large media houses including BBC and Sky UK. Network operators deploy diverse routing architectures with BGP peering, MPLS backbones, and dark fibre rings to ensure low-latency paths for latency-sensitive applications used by Electronic trading, Bloomberg L.P., Refinitiv, and global gaming platforms. Service-level options include managed colocation, remote-hands, and disaster recovery connectivity supporting enterprise continuity strategies for clients such as HSBC and Credit Suisse.

Security and Compliance

Security at the site combines physical measures—perimeter barriers, biometric entry, and 24/7 security staff—with network protections implemented by tenants and carriers, including DDoS mitigation appliances and scrubbing services from vendors like Radware and A10 Networks. Telehouse North facilitates compliance with regulatory and industry frameworks referenced by tenants, enabling audit support for standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS, and legal requirements enforced by regulators like the Information Commissioner's Office. The facility supports law enforcement and legal process interaction under UK statutes and provides logging and access records compatible with corporate governance demands of multinational firms including Amazon, Google, and Facebook.

Notable Tenants and Events

Telehouse North has hosted a wide array of prominent tenants from telecommunications, media, finance, and cloud industries. Past and present occupants include major carriers such as BT Group and Virgin Media O2, cloud providers Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, CDNs like Akamai Technologies, and financial services firms including Barclays and Goldman Sachs. The site has been a focal point during infrastructure milestones such as peering fabric upgrades at exchanges like LINX and capacity expansions tied to major sporting event broadcasting for BBC Sport and Sky Sports. Telehouse North's presence has influenced London's connectivity landscape, contributing to events including major submarine cable commissions and interconnection announcements by companies such as Equinix and Interxion.

Category:Data centers in the United Kingdom