Telecommunications company CenturyLink Inc (NYSE:CTL) announced on Monday that it has extended its data centre footprint into Australia through an agreement with independent Data-Centre-as-a-Service provider NEXTDC Limited.

According to CenturyLink, it is now offering access to its full suite of managed hybrid IT services to regional and multinational corporations in Australia.

Reportedly, CenturyLink has offered network services to over 50 regional and multinational corporations in Australia since 2002, with plans to deploy its public cloud service within the country later this year.

Starting immediately, managed hosting and colocation services can be accessed through NEXTDC's network of five next-generation data centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.

Also, under this agreement, CenturyLink and NEXTDC can sell into each other's data centres. Reportedly, this approach to outsourcing will be invaluable for Australian businesses wanting to enhance their international reach with CenturyLink's managed hybrid IT services, and for existing global CenturyLink customers to quickly and easily gain a physical presence in Australia.