RailTel Corporation of India Ltd has received a work order from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to set up a greenfield data centre in Ethiopia. The project will be developed for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa.

RailTel, a Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Railways, said the project is part of India’s support to Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia Strategy. It also marks an important step in RailTel’s international expansion and its growing role in delivering digital infrastructure outside India.

The data centre project is scheduled to be completed within one year. After it becomes operational, RailTel will provide comprehensive operation and maintenance support for three years.

Commenting on the development, RailTel Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Kumar said, “RailTel sincerely thanks the Ministry of External Affairs for entrusting us with this prestigious international assignment. We remain fully committed to delivering this project with the highest standards of professionalism, quality, and reliability. This engagement further strengthens RailTel’s role as a global digital infrastructure partner aligned with India’s development cooperation objectives.”

RailTel said India is increasingly focusing on technology-led development and digital transformation in emerging economies. In line with this vision, the company has adopted an international expansion strategy to take India’s digital models to partner countries.

The company is leveraging its experience in executing large and mission-critical ICT projects for the Government of India and is participating in international competitive bids. It recently took part in the Unique Identity project in Sri Lanka, which is supported by the Government of India.

RailTel’s global offerings include Digital Public Infrastructure, sovereign cloud and data centres, AI-enabled solutions in healthcare and education, rural and remote broadband connectivity, and secure government ICT platforms. The company is also exploring partnerships with global technology firms to support technology transfer, Make-in-India manufacturing, and skill development in partner countries.

Geographically, RailTel is looking at opportunities in the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, South-East Asia, and Australia. It has also invited expressions of interest from global firms to collaborate on international projects.

RailTel began its international operations in 2024 with a project in Jamaica, where it supplied and commissioned electronic LED scoreboards at the Sabina Park Stadium. It later secured another MEA-funded project to supply Make-in-India laptops to school students in Trinidad and Tobago.

With the Ethiopia data centre project, RailTel said it has strengthened its position as a global CPSE partner for delivering secure and scalable digital infrastructure, reflecting India’s growing role in supporting digital development in the Global South.