Internet Initiative Japan Inc and China Telecom Corporation Limited (China Telecom) have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly provide Cloud computing services in China.

IIJ has long experience in providing resource on-demand services, a prototype service for Cloud computing from 2000. From 2009, IIJ began providing Cloud computing service under the brand name "IIJ GIO" which covers layers from IaaS to SaaS. Currently, IIJ GIO has been recognized as No.1 Cloud computing service in Japan and is adopted by over 600 Japanese blue-chip customers. From 2011, IIJ has strengthened its overseas business and considers China to be one of the most important markets in Asia.

China Telecom is the largest carrier in China that provides an array of telecommunications-related services, from voice, internet connectivity to wireless services and also owns and operates data centers facilities across the country. With its elaborate network infrastructure, China Telecom provides services to around 170 million local line subscribers.

To make the most from this strategic partnership, IIJ and China Telecom will jointly provide high quality and flexible Cloud computing services in China, as is provided in Japan, by exploiting IIJ''s abundant experiences in providing Cloud computing service and utilizing the largest and strongest network infrastructure that China Telecom owns throughout China. China Telecom will offer its data center and network infrastructure and IIJ will build and operate the Cloud computing platform.

IIJ Global Solutions China Inc., which is a Shanghai-based subsidiary of IIJ Global Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of IIJ, was established on January 6, 2012, and it will serve as a contact point for providing the above-mentioned services to the Japanese companies in China.