Vodacom Tanzania sells tower assets

Mobile tower outsourcing in Africa continues apace with Vodacom Tanzania on Monday striking a deal to offload its entire tower network to Helios Towers and rent access back.

The agreement involves the transfer of 1,149 existing telecoms towers from Vodacom to Helios and a commitment to an ambitious, short-term rollout which will see a significant increase in towers, more than doubling the infrastructure firm’s existing presence in Tanzania.

As a result, Helios will be providing close to 2,700 points of service to Vodacom and affiliates across the country, while Helios’ tower coverage in Africa will expand to 4,700 owned towers.

AfricaCom takes place 12 -14 November 2013: CTICC Cape Town, South Africa

Financial details were not disclosed, but Vodacom will acquire a 24.5 per cent share in Helios’ Tanzanian subsidiary.

African mobile operators have been enthusiastic in their adoption of the tower network outsourcing model.