Eaton Telecoms opened a new branch in Tanzania, giving the country its first independent tower company.
The new headquarters will be led by mobile veteran David Hunter, who will act as country manager. “This is a very exciting time for the mobile industry in Tanzania, which is set for rapid growth. We are open for business now and ready with our extensive expertise and local experience to partner with mobile operators.”
The company says it will build and manage towers in Tanzania to support mobile operators, in a market set to double its number of subscribers to 33 million in the next four years.
“With a population of 43 million and a vibrant mobile market with 17 million subscribers and eight competing mobile operators, Tanzania is one of the most attractive markets in Africa for a tower-sharing business,” says Alan Harper, Eaton Telecoms CEO.
Hunter says Eaton will help Tanzanian mobile operators by managing their towers and helping them roll-out new sites “so that they can focus on their customers while reaping the compelling economic benefits of tower sharing without having to make any additional capital expenditure”.
Covering Africa
Eaton already has operations in SA and Ghana. Pieter Nel was appointed as SA head in May.
Harper adds that there are plans to extend the business further across Africa. “In due course, a number of additional branches will be opened in countries offering substantial growth potential.
“Mobile operators across Africa are seeking to reduce the cost of a network roll-out. Tower sharing can help them to reduce their asset base, capex and operating costs, allowing them to focus on increasing their coverage and the roll-out of new services to customers.”
The company was founded last year with the intention of catering for the growing move towards tower sharing on the continent.
It was started by Sanjiv Ahuja, former CEO of Orange Mobile internationally; Harper, former management board director of Vodafone Group; and Terry Rhodes, one of the founders of Celtel International (now Zain).
The company plans to own and operate passive telecommunications infrastructure assets across Africa. Eaton's senior executives have spent the previous 15 years building telecoms operators in Africa.
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