AFRICLOUD Extends Data Centre Presence to Lisbon, Portugal

AFRICLOUD, a provider of high‑performance virtual server hosting, has extended its data centre presence to Lisbon, Portugal, through colocation in an existing facility. This expansion enhances connectivity for virtual servers and VPS hosting, positioning Lisbon as a key interconnection hub for Africa, Western Europe, and South America.

The Lisbon data centre represents a strategic move for businesses requiring low‑latency access to multiple continents. With Portugal's unique geographic position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Americas, Lisbon has emerged as one of the world's most important submarine cable landing points.

Connecting Three Continents

By colocating in Lisbon, AFRICLOUD leverages Portugal's extensive undersea cable infrastructure, including the EllaLink, Equiano, and upcoming Nuvem cable systems. By 2026, the facility will connect to over 115 cable landing stations worldwide, enabling low‑latency data transfer for businesses operating across multiple regions. Test connectivity from Lisbon using AFRICLOUD's Network Looking Glass.

Key Submarine Cable Connections

• EllaLink: Direct link between Europe and Brazil, bypassing traditional routes through North America for 50% lower latency to South America
• Equiano: Google's private cable running along Africa's west coast from Portugal to South Africa, providing exceptional bandwidth to West African markets
• 2Africa: One of the world's largest submarine cable projects, connecting 33 countries across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East
• Nuvem: Upcoming cable system further expanding capacity to South America and Africa

These cable systems position Lisbon as the natural gateway for European businesses expanding to African and South American markets, and for African businesses needing GDPR‑compliant European hosting.

Advanced Infrastructure for Virtual Servers

The Lisbon colocation facility is equipped with enterprise‑grade hardware designed for demanding workloads:

• Processors: AMD EPYC offering up to 128 cores per server, optimised for multi‑threaded applications and virtualisation
• Storage: NVMe SSDs in RAID10 configuration for both speed and redundancy, delivering consistent low‑latency I/O
• Memory: Up to 1TB of ECC RAM per server, suitable for in‑memory databases and caching
• Network: Dual 100G network adapters with full redundancy, connected to multiple upstream providers

This infrastructure supports applications such as AI inference, machine learning training, real‑time gaming, and e‑commerce platforms that require robust virtual server hosting with predictable performance.

Latency to Key Markets

The Lisbon location offers competitive latency to key markets:

• Western Europe: 10‑25ms to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt
• Northern Africa: 25‑40ms to Casablanca, Algiers, Tunis
• West Africa: 40‑80ms to Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Abidjan
• Brazil: 95‑120ms via EllaLink (vs 160‑200ms via traditional North Atlantic routes)
• North America: 70‑90ms to New York, 100‑120ms to Los Angeles

For businesses targeting West and North African markets specifically, Lisbon typically offers 30‑50% lower latency than data centres located in Northern Europe or the UK.

Flexible VPS Hosting Plans

AFRICLOUD offers eight virtual server plans, starting at $20 per month, with network speeds ranging from 1 Gbps to 8 Gbps and NVMe storage from 20GB to 320GB. These plans cater to a variety of needs:

• VM1‑VM2: Ideal for development, testing, and small production sites
• VM3‑VM4: Suited for growing businesses, CMS installations, and small databases
• VM5‑VM6: Appropriate for medium‑traffic sites, API backends, and application servers
• VM7‑VM8: Designed for high‑performance workloads, large databases, and enterprise applications

All plans include NVMe storage optimised for performance. For businesses running content management systems, explore our WordPress hosting options. If you prefer to pay with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, see our educational guide: How to Buy VPS with Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency.

Supporting Global Business Needs

The Lisbon colocation presence is tailored for specific industry use cases:

• European SaaS providers: Expand to African and South American markets with single‑digit millisecond latency increases
• Tourism platforms: Serve the Portuguese‑speaking world (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique) from one location
• Gaming companies: Provide low‑latency experiences for players across Europe, Africa, and South America
• Financial services: Meet GDPR requirements while serving global customers
• African startups: Access European payment gateways, APIs, and services with optimal latency

With sub‑30ms latency to major European cities and direct access to African markets, the facility supports businesses aiming to reach diverse audiences efficiently.

Robust Network and Compliance

The colocation facility connects to major European Internet Exchange Points, ensuring reliable and secure connectivity:

• DE‑CIX Lisbon: Europe's largest IX operator, providing access to 800+ networks
• GigaPIX: Portugal's primary internet exchange, with direct peering to Portuguese ISPs
• Equinix: Global interconnection platform with extensive cloud and content provider presence

Operating within EU regulations, the facility adheres to strict data protection (GDPR) and environmental standards, providing a trusted environment for customer data. This makes Lisbon ideal for businesses requiring EU data residency while serving African or South American customers.

Why Choose Lisbon Over Other European Locations?

While Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and London remain popular hosting locations, Lisbon offers distinct advantages:

• African connectivity: Direct submarine cable access to West Africa via Equiano and 2Africa
• South American reach: EllaLink provides the lowest‑latency path to Brazil from Europe
• Growing ecosystem: Increasing investment in data centre infrastructure and cable landing stations
• Cost efficiency: Competitive operational costs compared to Tier 1 European markets

Availability

The Lisbon colocation presence is available for customer deployments. Businesses can explore pricing and specifications at africloud.com/lisbon. For migration assistance, see our VPS migration guide.

About AFRICLOUD

Founded in February 2025, AFRICLOUD specializes in virtual server hosting from strategically located data centres. Powered by enterprise‑grade infrastructure and supported by extensive peering networks, we serve businesses in Africa, South America, and beyond. Our Johannesburg data centre complements Lisbon, providing optimal coverage for Southern and East African markets. For more information, visit africloud.com.