Who’s who in tower design, manufacture, installation and managed services in Africa

Mobile Network Operators and towercos typically outsource tower design, manufacture, installation and managed services to specialist turnkey telecoms infrastructure contractors.

TowerXchange has profiled the most credible niche and end-to-end service providers in this segment of the tower industry supply chain, mapping their capabilities against seven key categories of service, while giving a sense of the scale and geographical footprint of their operations. We have also interviewed senior executives at selected turnkey infrastructure companies.

The installation and managed services end of the tower industry supply chain is characterised by considerable organisational complexity. Substantial rollout and retrofit projects engage skilled supervisors to marshal hundreds of hard-working local staff. Projects can span the design, manufacture, import, warehousing, timely delivery and installation of passive and active equipment and components, all the way to managing an NOC integrating comprehensive RMS data feeds with maintenance job ticketing and asset lifecycle platforms that enable preventative maintenance. Services can extend into the installation and maintenance of energy equipment, with several turnkey infrastructure providers also developing cutting edge hybrid and renewable energy innovations.

“The tower acquisition and turnkey build-to-suite models yield different financial results. Acquisition seems to be the road to a more profitable proposition, and tower companies’ deals often come with build-to-suite agreements,” said one investor with considerable tower industry experience. With managed services reputed to be a high cost, low margin business, in the future some turnkey infrastructure companies may move up the value chain to bid for tower portfolios, perhaps fronting a consortium with investment partners.

While few turnkey infrastructure providers have yet acquired and leased back towers in Africa, many have become key strategic outsourcing partners of towercos.

MNOs and towercos want to know that the potential turnkey infrastructure partners you shortlist have been trading for some time, have an excellent QHSE record, have a track record of meeting strict delivery schedules on time, and (ideally) have a physical presence in your specific market – or at least in a neighboring country. When selecting turnkey infrastructure and managed service partners, you want to know that your chosen partner has “been there and done that”, so we are pleased to introduce you, or reintroduce you, to some of the partners most warmly recommended by TowerXchange members and readers.

TowerXchange will examine the slightly different role played by the active equipment manufacturers, such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, NSN and ZTE, in a separate special feature. The OEMs often bundle managed services with active equipment sales, and often subcontract to the companies covered in this special feature, so merit covering separately.

Company profiles:

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: Yes

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 1,500+

Founded: 1999 in Egypt

Staff: 200

Footprint:Currently only operate in Egypt and supply products for Africa and Middle East. Before ADNA had been in Algeria and Sudan

Sample clients:Vodafone Egypt, Mobinil, Etisalat, Huawei, Orange, Omnia and Omantel

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Through Partner

Acquire & Lease: Interested

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 12,000

Founded: 1998

Staff: 2,500

Footprint: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania (plus Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE in the Middle East)

Sample clients: Airtel, Comium, Etisalat, Expresso, FT-Orange, Libyana, MobiNil, MTN, Safaricom, Sotelma, Sudatel, Vodacom, Vodafone, Wataniya, Yu, Zain and Zantel, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Egypt, Etisalat Misr

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 5,000

Founded: 1940’s

Staff: 2,109, of which 1,069 in Africa

African Footprint: Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda (also in Myanmar)

Sample clients: France Telecom/Orange, Digicell, Eaton Towers, Bulgaria Telecom, ZTE, Telma, TowerCo of Madagascar, Inwi, Meditel, Moov, Helios, IHS, Wananchi, Alcatel, Ericsson, NSN

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: Yes

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 20,000

Founded: 1977

Staff: 1,500

Footprint: Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Senegal, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Chad

Sample clients: Vodafone Egypt, MobiNil, Etisalat,  Comium, Djezzy, Sudatel, Sotelma MaliTel, Alcatel,  Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Through Partner

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes - India and Through Partner Africa

Install: Yes - India and Through Partner Africa

Managed Services: No

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 4,000

Founded: 1991, in towers since 2004

Staff: 500 perminant, 1,000 contractors

Footprint: “Many countries in Africa”

Sample clients: Airtel, Vodafone, Huawei (MTN), Orange, Helios, Eaton, Ramboll and Safaricom directly and through partners

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Through Partner

Install: No

Managed Services: No

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 100

Founded: 2012

Staff: 8

Footprint: Burkina Faso, Uganda

Sample clients: Telecel, Benin Telecom, STE

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: Yes

Approximate number of towers in Africa:

Founded: 1997

Staff:

1,200-1,500

Footprint:

Sample clients: Etisalat, Qtel, Vodafone, Bharti, Wataniya, Ericsson, NSN, Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Through Partner

Acquire & Lease: Interested

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 5,600

Founded: 1997

Staff: 1,364

Footprint: Full turnkey services in Egypt (HQ), Sudan, KSA, UAE and Qatar, also supplying products to Algeria, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and more

Sample clients: Vodafone Egypt & Qatar, Orascom, Mobinil, MTN Sudan, Zain KSA, Iraq & Sudan, du, NSN, Motorola, Ericsson, ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Through Partner

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: Built 700, manage 3,000

Founded: 2007

Staff: 700 FTEs plus project based EPC work

Footprint: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo B, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. Plus Myanmar and Lebanon

Sample clients: Airtel, American Tower, Eaton Towers, Helios Towers Africa, IHS, MTN, Ooredoo, Orascom

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: Through Partner

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 3-5,000

Founded: 1982

Staff: 950

Footprint (Africa): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda (also in Myanmar)

Sample clients (Africa): Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, Airtel, Atlantique Telecom, MTN, Orange, Tigo, Vodafone, Helios TA, EatonTowers, ATC, IHS

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: Through Partner

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 3,000

Founded: 1995

Staff: 750

Footprint: Mauritius HQ, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Lesotho, Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, SDR Guinea, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania

Sample clients: MTN, Econet, Cell C, Vodacom, Huawei, Ericsson, NSN, American Tower, Helios

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Through Partner

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 3-4,000

Founded: 1948

Staff: 1,400 total, 800 in telecoms

Footprint: Angola, DRC, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania – able to perform and supply anywhere in SSA (also active in LatAm, Russia and CIS countries)

Sample clients: Vodacom, Vodafone, Airtel, Tigo,  FT-Orange, Celcom, American Tower, Huawei, ZTE

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: Interested

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 18,000 in MENA & Asia

Founded: 1999

Staff: 5,000

Footprint: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia. Also Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Sample clients: Mobinil, Vodafone, Etisalat, Djezzy, Mobilink, Banglalink, Inwi, Meditel, Orange , Zain, Mobily, Huawei, Ericsson

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 3,000

Founded: 2009

Staff: 500

Footprint (Africa): Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya (opening soon in Niger)

Sample clients: Eaton, Helios, ATC, IHS, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, MTN, Orange, Comium, Vodafone, Onatel, Airtel

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: No

Tower Manu: No

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 2,385

Founded: 1987

Staff: 350

Footprint: 

Sample clients: 

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Through Partner

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 12,000+

Founded: over 50 years ago

Staff: 600 full time, 2,000+ contractors

Footprint: South Africa(HQ), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia

Sample clients: Airtel, Helios, ATC, MTN Nigeria, MTN South Africa, Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom Tanzania

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: No

Install: Through Partner

Managed Services: Software

TOC: Through Partner

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 7,000

Founded: 1945

Staff: 11,000

Footprint: Pan African, continental HQ in South Africa

Sample clients: (In Africa) Huawei, NSN, ZTE, Ericsson, American Tower, IHS Africa, Helios, Airtel, Vodafone, MTN

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa:3-4,000

Founded: 1912

Staff: 360

Footprint: DRC, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia plus satellite operations in Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Sierra Leone

Sample clients: Airtel, Alcatel-Lucent, Eaton, Helios TA, Helios TN, Huawei, IHS, MTN, NSN, Safaricom, SWAP, Tigo, Vodacom, ZTE

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Through Partner

Permits & Licenses: Yes

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Yes

TOC: No

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 600

Founded: 2002

Staff: 85

Footprint: Full offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Mozambique and Ghana with representative offices in South Sudan and the DRC

Sample clients: Airtel, Alcatel-Lucent, Eaton, Helios TA, Helios TN, Huawei, IHS, MTN, NSN, Safaricom, SWAP, Tigo, Vodacom, ZTE

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Capabilities:

Tower Design: Yes

Tower Manu: Yes

Permits & Licenses: Through Partner

Install: Yes

Managed Services: Through Partner

TOC: Yes

Acquire & Lease: No

Approximate number of towers in Africa: 1,500 project managed

Founded: 2007

Staff: 60

Footprint: Currently seeking African partner

Sample clients: Viettel, Ericsson, Vietnamese Navy, Huawei, Vimpelcom, Telenor