Airtel to divest 950 telecom towers in Congo

The Dollar Business Bureau

Bharti Airtel Ltd. on Thursday announced a divestment of approximately 950 telecom towers to Helios Towers Africa (HTA), a leading telecom tower company in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The agreement will expand HTA’s tower coverage to over 6,500 owned towers in the African continent.

The Indian telecom giant will have full access to HTA’s towers under a long term lease contract, which also includes towers currently under construction.

With this deal, Airtel will strengthen its core focus on business and customers, which will help it leverage through debt reduction. The agreement will considerably lessen the company’s ongoing capital expenditure on passive infrastructure while reducing the proliferation of towers through increased sharing.

“HTA is proud to be chosen by Airtel as its partner for the ownership and management of its existing infrastructure. This is a ground-breaking move for HTA, and Airtel’s decision is a significant endorsement of HTA’s reputation, management team and operating track record,” said Kash Pandya, Chief Executive Officer of Helios Towers Africa.

“We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with HTA in Africa. The agreement is in line with our stated philosophy of divesting passive infrastructure and promoting sharing of towers to enhance operational efficiencies that will further the growth of telecom services,” said Christian De Faria, Executive Chairman, Bharti Airtel International Netherlands BV (BAIN).

Faria underscored Airtel’s prolonged commitments to DRC and said the company will continue to invest in its operations across the globe and serve customers with world-class services.