Colocation in Kiev

Sometimes I have to wonder about the guts we have in accepting “certain projects”. This one would be one of them: building a colocation in Kiev from the ground up.

Everything started off innocently enough. The idea to operate a local Meet-Me room in the Ukraine came up during the annual symposium in Odessa (Ukraine).

So Matthias flew to Kiev to determine which “neutral” telco location would be best suited for that. He only found one and, to put it mildly, it did not meet our quality requirements. What now? There was only one thing we could do: build our own telecommunications facility. We were actively supported in this endeavour by our long-time contact Vladimir Scherbinin.

He established a relationship with a local industrialist by the name of Sergey who owned the ideal location complete with the necessary buildings.

After we came to an agreement on the rental terms, it was time to run the hurdles through the official channels. NewTelco Ukraine was founded, lawyers were put to work. We delved deeper and deeper into the ins and outs of the Ukrainian system. After a year and many flights back and forth, we got the green light.

Upgrading and outfitting work was being done at the same time, although the material constraints we faced were so daunting that we decided to have everything manufactured in Germany and then transport it all to Kiev in one huge shipment. Of course, we didn’t factor in customs. Everything had to be declared: the exact type of motor, the exact type of generator, the size of the tank, the exact type of starter battery and which specific acid it used.

Everything. Even the UPS, the batteries in the UPS, the battery framework in the wall boxes, etc., etc. Just hearing the word “customs” in passing was enough to immediately give me a headache.

All well and good. After we “greased the wheels” to get our freight through Ukrainian Customs, the final construction could be finished. Two extra transformers were connected, raised floors laid, AC installed, cables snaked, ductwork put in place.

And now just look. We actually created a “Made in Germany” colocation in the Ukraine. Am I missing anything? Oh yes, the local Meet-Me room, that which started everything else in motion. That, too, was installed and we are now complete.

Which leaves us with only one more thing to say: Nastrovia to the next project!