Indigo Telecom eyes Aqua Comms Newcastle operations centre

Indigo Telecom Group has signed heads of terms with Aqua Comms to explore acquiring Aqua Comms' Network Operations Centre in Newcastle. If completed, the deal would add a third network operations centre to Indigo's existing sites in Denver and Magor.

The Newcastle team would be integrated into Indigo's global network operations services. The transaction remains subject to a final agreement and customary approvals.

Indigo provides network operations support for hyperscalers, subsea cable owners, carriers, and fixed and mobile network providers in more than 90 countries. Its network operations centres run around the clock, handling monitoring, fault response, service assurance, and support across complex network environments.

Subsea focus

The Newcastle site has a particular focus on subsea cable operations. Aqua Comms built its business around transatlantic and regional subsea systems, including America Europe Connect-1, America Europe Connect-2, CeltixConnect-1, and CeltixConnect-2, and also participated in the Amitié cable system consortium.

The proposed acquisition follows EXA Infrastructure's completed purchase of Aqua Comms. As it expands its international business, EXA is consolidating network operations, while Aqua Comms customers will continue to be supported through EXA's own network operations centre.

Global reach

For Indigo, the move would deepen its presence in a market where operational oversight is closely tied to reliability and response times. Its operating model follows the ITIL 4 framework and includes third-party management, service commissioning, provisioning, capacity management, out-of-hours support, and customer reporting.

Those functions sit alongside Indigo's wider field and support operation, which includes more than 3,500 engineers and handles more than 30,000 incidents each year. Founded in 1998, the company positions itself as an operational partner for digital infrastructure operators rather than a network owner.

A Newcastle base would also extend Indigo's UK presence beyond Magor in Wales. Combined with its US operations in Denver, it would give the group another location from which to provide round-the-clock monitoring for customers running international networks and subsea links.

Leadership view

"The Aqua Comms NOC team brings significant subsea cable expertise and operational experience to Indigo. We're excited to welcome the team to Indigo and add further specialist capabilities to our NOC offering," said Michel Robert, Chief Executive Officer, Indigo.

"The acquisition will strengthen our ability to deliver the uptime, control and hyperscale performance our customers expect," said Robert.

EXA presented the move as part of a broader internal reorganisation following its acquisition of Aqua Comms. It said the transfer would place the Newcastle team within a larger subsea-focused operating business while allowing EXA to streamline its own network oversight.

"Aqua Comms built a world-class NOC in Newcastle, a team with deep subsea knowledge and a track record of operational excellence. As EXA scales globally, consolidating our network operations is the right strategic step, and Aqua Comms customers will continue to be supported without disruption through EXA's NOC. The fact that this is an exceptional team is precisely why transferring them to Indigo makes sense. Indigo is growing its footprint across the global subsea industry, and this move puts that expertise on a bigger stage. That is the right outcome for the team and for the industry," said Jim Fagan, Chief Executive Officer, EXA Infrastructure.