Afrigather Telkom, South Africa’s third largest cell community operator by subscriber base, will unload its tower and mast property housed below its subsidiary Swiftnet for R6.75 billion (~$356 million) to TowerBidco, a newly created entity owned by Royal Bafokeng Holdings and Actis LLP infrastructure fund.
Swiftnet operates over 4,000 towers in South Africa.
In an announcement to shareholders, Telkom mentioned that the sale aligns with the corporate’s technique to unload non-core property to concentrate on unlocking the intrinsic worth of its extra core operations. “Proceeds [will be] utilised to primarily pay down Telkom debt, thereby strengthening [its] stability sheet and enabling it to launch free money move.”
In November, Telkom announced a pivot right into a extra infrastructure-led enterprise mannequin. The mannequin can be underpinned by investing capital into constructing and sustaining infrastructure property together with fibre networks, information centres, satellite tv for pc, and marine cables. Swiftnet’s sale follows the corporate’s announcement in 2023 that it was contemplating promoting a minority stake in its fibre infrastructure subsidiary, Openserve, which was unbundled in 2022.
In line with the corporate, the technique will allow the corporate to be “an enabler of South Africa’s digital future.” The technique, which has been in place for a 12 months, is anticipated to be accomplished by 2025.
In line with the corporate, the excessive demand for infrastructure, a number one market place, vital obstacles to entry in infrastructure, a powerful stability sheet and a so-called skilled administration crew places it in a beneficial place to pursue the infraco mannequin.
“[An] InfraCo technique realises our true aggressive benefit – displaying Telkom to be a strategic nationwide asset – the spine of the SA’s digital economic system and the enabler of the nation’s digital future,” the corporate acknowledged.
