Johannesburg - MTN Business has taken another step in moving African enterprises closer to accessing cloud services. The company today announced it would offer Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute to its clientele.

Customers can use Azure ExpressRoute as a value added service, to enable a security-enhanced, SLA-backed network connection to Microsoft Azure. Azure ExpressRoute will also give customers connectivity access to additional services on Azure.

The service will leverage *MTN's Global MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network, which connects major cities across Africa and the rest of the world, to provide customers with a consistent experience when utilising applications that are delivered from Azure ExpressRoute.

'Through Azure ExpressRoute, our customers can experience a managed network service with the same reliability, manageability and security they would have when using a private network. Customers will benefit from better quality of service, and will be able to access services via the Cloud, as well as share data sets between the MTN Business Cloud and Azure, for a hybrid cloud experience,' says Debbie Minnaar, General Manager: Products and Services, Group Enterprise Business Unit, MTN.

Azure ExpressRoute connections do not go over the public Internet, and therefore offer greater reliability, faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical Internet connections. Enterprises in SA, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Ghana and Cyprus will benefit from the new offering immediately, with roll out to the rest of the MTN footprint to follow in the coming months.

'Microsoft is excited to welcome MTN into its Azure ExpressRoute ecosystem. MTN has a long-term history of collaborating with Microsoft, both in hybrid cloud and productivity solutions,' said Ross Ortega, Principal Programme Manager, Azure Networking. 'MTN's capabilities to operate enterprise class networks, along with their sizeable reach and availability on the African continent and in the Middle East, will significantly help extend Azure services in those regions.'

The Azure ExpressRoute offering comes on the back of the recent launch of MTN's pan-African cloud platform, which provides customers with hybrid cloud solution services from MTN's data centres. Minnaar says both of these developments are in line with MTN's commitment to enabling the growth of enterprise customers by offering them the best in class ICT services.

- Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

About *MTN Global MPLS VPN

MTN's Global Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Virtual Private Network (VPN) service is a carrier-grade network for enterprise customers. The layer-3 service (MPLS, Internet Protocol (IP) and VPN) has the ability to prioritise customer traffic on an application by application basis enabling fast, reliable and secure network connectivity. MTN's Global MPLS service connects key network point-of-presence in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Congo Brazzaville, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Djibouti, Angola, Mozambique, Senegal, Cyprus, Cameroon, Botswana, Namibia, Benin, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: 'MTN.' As of 30 June 2015, MTN recorded 231 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at, www.mtnbusiness.com and www.mtn.com

For more information, please contact:

Samantha Moodley on 083 212 9434 or Samantha.moodley@mtn.com

Twitter: @MTNGroup

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