#76: IHS Towers - How the telecom infrastructure company is building and managing towers across Africa and beyond
Afrobility: Africa Tech and BusinessMay 15, 2024
76
01:42:25164.11 MB

#76: IHS Towers - How the telecom infrastructure company is building and managing towers across Africa and beyond

Overview: Today, we’re going to explore IHS Towers - the African telecommunications infrastructure company. We’ll discuss the story across the following areas: 

  1. Telecom tower infrastructure context 

  2. IHS Towers' early history

  3. Product & monetization strategy

  4. Competitive positioning & potential exit options

  5. Overall outlook

This episode was recorded on May 5, 2024

Companies discussed: IHS Towers, MTN, Airtel, Telkom, Orange, Etisalat / 9 Mobile, American Tower Company, Globacom, Libancell, Helios Towers Nigeria, Telkom, Vodacom, Goldman Sachs, (IFC), Public Investment Corporation of South Africa, Ecobank, Investec, Standard Bank.

Business concepts discussed: Tower Infrastructure, Shared communication infrastructure, Tower Leasing and Ownership Models, Market Expansion, Sale and Leaseback, Local vs Global Strategy, Capital-intensive business models, Currency devaluation

Conversation highlights:

  • (01:50) - What IHS does and why we’re talking about it

  • (04:37) - How Towers work

  • (12:47) - How Telcos work with Towers in Nigeria and parts of Africa

  • (23:22) - IHS Founding and Early History

  • (34:19) - Funding

  • (39:32) - Growth and International Expansion

  • (47:26) - IHS IPO and trends post IPO

  • (55:50) - Product Strategy & Monetization

  • (1:08:30) - Competition

  • (1:16:22) - Bankole’s overall thoughts and outlook

  • (1:24:06) - Olumide’s overall thoughts and outlook

  • (1:30:24) - Recommendations and small wins


Olumide’s recommendations & small wins:


Bankole’s recommendations & small wins:

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