By Dave Sebastian 



  Equinix Inc. is buying 25 data-center facilities from the Canadian communications company Bell for 1.04 billion Canadian dollars ($750 million) in cash, the companies said Monday. 


  Equinix, a data-center company, said the deal would add to its adjusted funds from operations upon closing, excluding integration costs. The data centers facilities, located at 13 sites in eight Canadian cities, are expected to contribute $105 million to Equinix's annual revenue, it said. 


  The companies expect the transaction to close in the second half of the year. 


  Equinix said the acquisition will allow it to serve the Canadian market coast to coast. The company will be able to add a capacity in Toronto as well as expand to Calgary, Kamloops, Vancouver, Millidgeville, Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg, it said. The data centers to be acquired serve more than 600 customers, and Equinix said it currently has 210 data cents in 55 metro areas. 


  Bell, part of BCE Inc., said it will continue to own and operate five data centers located in Calgary, Halifax, Saint John, St. John's and Toronto. 


  The companies said they will start a partnership that enables Bell enterprise clients to fully access Equinix's network and cloud products. 


  Write to Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com