(Ecofin Agency) - Over the past three years, Helios Towers acquired several telecom towers in South Africa, Senegal, Madagascar, Malawi, Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Back in June 2021, the company raised $160 million to finance its expansion.

Helios Towers, an independent telecom infrastructure manager focused on Africa, is preparing to extend its operations into the Middle East. Tom Greenwood, CEO of the company, confirmed this in an interview with Mobile World Live.

Following the acquisition of telecom tower assets from Omantel in December 2022, Helios Towers is expanding into the Middle East. The company intends to enter the Omani telecom market, which recently welcomed a new operator, Vodafone. It is worth noting that the market was previously dominated by the Omantel-Ooredoo duopoly.

"As a tower company, if you have a certain number of towers in the country and a new mobile operator enters, the fastest way for them to improve their coverage is to deploy from the towers you own. Now, this can be a stepping stone to other markets in the Middle East," Mr. Greenwood, said.

Expanding into the Middle East is a logical continuation of Helios Towers' growth strategy. Over the past three years, the company made several acquisitions of telecom towers in Africa, including in South Africa, Senegal, Madagascar, Malawi, Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In June 2021, the company raised $160 million to bolster its balance sheet and acquire telecom tower assets in new markets.

With the acquisition of Omantel's assets and expansion into the Middle East, Helios aims to operate 22,000 towers by 2026, up from the current 14,000.

Isaac K. Kassouwi