Telecom
IHS Plans More African Phone Tower Deals
IHS, telecoms Infrastructure Company, hopes to agree up to three transmitter tower deals in Africa this year and increase the size of its portfolio nearly seven-fold within the next four years.
Lagos-listed IHS owns about 3 100 base stations, or towers that transmit mobile phone signals, and manages a further 2 000 sites for telecoms operators in Africa including South Africa’s MTN, India’s Bharti Airtel and Etisalat Nigeria.
Operators in Africa, which often struggle with higher running costs and lower revenue per user than other regions, try to reduce expenditure by pooling or selling their transmitter towers.
They can this do via tower-sharing deals, but selling towers to specialists such as IHS is more popular, with these firms also leasing new-build towers to multiple operators.
IHS’s towers are in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, plus Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Sudan and South Sudan and the company is looking at acquisitions in another six countries on the continent, Issam Darwish, chief executive told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
“Hopefully we can do another 2-3 this year,” said Darwish, adding these were likely to be in West or East Africa. “We plan to own 20,000 sites within the next four years.”
Darwish said he expects the next big growth driver in the region to be an expansion of Internet access via mobile networks, provided governments free up the required radio spectrum.
“Data demand is going to surprise and explode beyond expectations, we just have to get the regulators to provide operators with enough spectrum,” said Darwish.
Other factors IHS considers before deciding whether to enter a country include population, economic growth, mobile penetration and the number of mobile operators, he said.
Nigeria is the mainstay for IHS, which owns about 1,300 sites in its domestic market, of which 900 are operational and 400 under construction, with a further 500 to be built within the next year. These new towers will provide network coverage to about 7 million Nigerians currently out of reach, IHS estimates.
Nigeria’s mobile penetration was 59 percent in 2011 and though this is steadily rising, the country is in the bottom quartile globally.
The lack of a reliable electricity supply is one of the biggest constraints, with about 95 percent of Nigeria’s 24,000 telecom towers run on generators rather than taking power supply from the country’s electricity grid.
“Operators haven’t even invested in connecting to the grid because it was so unreliable,” said Darwish.
These towers consume about $540 million of diesel annually, while total fuel cost when delivery and other factors are included is about $750 million, he estimates.
This led IHS to launch an efficiency drive that Darwish said would halve its diesel consumption by April 2014 by installing more advanced generators and revamping its supply chain.
“We started in Nigeria a year ago because it’s our biggest operation and now that we know what to do we started with Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Sudan,” said Darwish.
On-grid electricity powers 60-80 percent of sites in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, he said.
A tenth of the company’s sites in Nigeria have been switched to a hybrid of solar and generator power, cutting diesel consumption at these sites by up to 70 percent.
Solar-only sites are favoured in rural areas with low consumption where delivering diesel is more expensive.
Telecom
Sytemap Announces 50% Discount on Verified Lands for Women, March 8–14, 2025
Sytemap, a trusted leader in land acquisition and technology solutions, is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower women through affordable and secure land ownership.
From March 8 to March 14, 2025, women—including professionals in Africa and the diaspora—will enjoy an exclusive 50% discount on plots from verified estate developers through the Sytemap platform.
This initiative, themed “Her Land, Her Future,” underscores Sytemap’s commitment to breaking cultural and economic barriers that have historically sidelined women from property ownership. Partnering with over 30 reputable estate developers, Sytemap is creating unprecedented opportunities for women to invest in land with confidence.
For decades, women in Nigeria and across Africa have faced significant hurdles in land acquisition, including high costs, fear of fraud, and societal biases. In fact, studies show that 65% of victims of land scams in Nigeria are women.
Sytemap’s CEO, Nnamdi Uba, stated, “Women have long been marginalized in land ownership, a critical path to building wealth and security. Our mission is not only to make land ownership accessible but to eliminate the fears and uncertainties that hold women back.”
With this initiative, Sytemap leverages its reputation for transparency and cutting-edge technology to offer a simple, scam-free, and empowering process for land purchase.
The campaign is designed to resonate with young professionals, particularly women with good-paying jobs who are ready to invest in their future. For women in the diaspora, the initiative offers tailored support, including seamless international payment options and an innovative plot-monitoring app that allows buyers to manage their investments from anywhere in the world.
Key Features Include:
50% Discount: Available only during the trade fair window (March 8–14, 2025).
Verified Estates: Secure locations vetted by Sytemap and trusted developers.
Flexible Payment Plans: Options to spread payments over several months to ease financial stress.
Digital Monitoring: A dedicated app to track land purchases and allocation progress.
Guaranteed Transparency: Every outright payment comes with instant, verifiable certificate allocation, with land documents delivered within three weeks.
This initiative will launch during the “Sytemap Land Trade Fair 1.0,” an event bringing together key stakeholders, women’s organizations, and influencers to celebrate this transformative moment. Women in the diaspora are encouraged to participate and take advantage of this life-changing opportunity.
Imagine a future where women are equal stakeholders in property ownership, shaping communities and securing generational wealth. Sytemap invites women across Africa and the diaspora to claim their space and rewrite the narrative of land ownership.
Telecom
Konga to Launch Africa’s First AI-Powered Hit Music & Commerce Radio Station
Konga, a leading composite e-commerce group, is poised to transform the Nigerian media and commerce landscape with the upcoming launch of its AI-powered FM radio station in Lagos.
The groundbreaking initiative, set to debut in January 2025, will mark Africa’s first Hit Music & Commerce Station, blending Technology, Entertainment, Commerce and more to drive impactful connections across the continent and the world.
A reliable source reveals that the station – KongaFM will be a pioneering platform to empower brands, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to connect with untapped markets, revolutionizing commerce in real time. While offering businesses a new avenue for product visibility and market penetration, the station promises to deliver non-stop hit music, ensuring listeners enjoy a unique mix of entertainment and commercial opportunities. It will be a completely new experience for Nigerians.
Equipped with state-of-the-art broadcasting technology and staffed by a dynamic new blend of seasoned professionals and youthful talent, the station will begin test transmissions in the second week of January 2025.
Konga’s latest media venture comes as part of its broader strategy to disrupt conventional marketing communications and amplify consumer engagement across sectors, including FMCG, electronics, and digital solutions.
The move is expected to send ripples across Nigeria’s FX market, potentially influencing the pricing and availability of key goods and commodities. This aligns with Konga’s history of innovation in the e-commerce sector.
This initiative will also complement Konga’s existing TV arm and other media services, positioning the brand as a dominant force in Marketing Communications. Together, these platforms will create synergies that set new benchmarks for how entertainment and commerce converge in Africa while streaming globally.
When asked for further details, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, CEO of Konga Group, remained tight-lipped, stating that “full details and official announcements will be made in January 2025.”
The anticipation around this launch continues to grow as industry experts and media enthusiasts eagerly await what is already being hailed as the next major evolution in Africa’s media and commerce space.
Telecom
Galaxy Backbone Deploys Fibre Optic Network in Lagos, Ibadan and Ilorin
Galaxy Backbone (GBB), the information technology and shared services provider of the Federal Government of Nigeria, has announced the successful expansion of its state-of-the-art fibre optic network to Lagos, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria, and Ilorin, capital of Kwara State in the north-central region.
What is described as a remarkable milestone is part of Phase II of the country’s National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB) project.
With a robust cross-country optical fibre backbone now extending over 5,000 kilometres and across 27 state capitals, GBB says it has solidified its role as the digital backbone of Nigeria. This development seamlessly integrates the nation’s six geopolitical zones.
The newly completed Abuja-to-Lagos route, traversing key cities such as Minna, Bida, Mokwa, ilorin, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibadan and Lagos, is a strategic enhancement designed to strengthen network reliability. By establishing a closed network ring linking Lagos – the nation’s economic hub – to Abuja, the capital city, GBB says it ensures service redundancy and minimises potential downtime.
Professor Ibrahim A Adeyanju, managing director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, says: “The expansion of our fibre optic network to Lagos, Ibadan and Ilorin is a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the digital divide and position Nigeria as a leader in the global digital economy. This advanced infrastructure empowers us to deliver innovative, customer-centric solutions that serve the needs of both the public and private sectors.”
He adds: “This expansion not only supports the government’s digital economy agenda but also sets the stage for meaningful collaboration with private sector organisations seeking to leverage our infrastructure.”
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