Airtel Africa PLC Sale of towers in Tanzania (5494A)
02 June 2021 - 4:00PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMAAF
RNS Number : 5494A
Airtel Africa PLC
02 June 2021
Airtel Africa plc
("Airtel Africa", or the "Group")
Sale of towers in Tanzania
London and Lagos, 2 June 2021: Airtel Africa, a leading provider
of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in
14 countries across Africa, today announces the sale of the tower
portfolio belonging to Airtel Tanzania to a joint venture company
(the "Purchaser") owned by a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBA
Communications Corporation, a leading global independent owner and
operator of wireless communications infrastructure, as majority
owner, and by Paradigm Infrastructure Limited ("Paradigm"), a UK
company focused on developing, owning and operating shared passive
wireless infrastructure in selected growth markets (the
"Transaction").
The tower portfolio in Airtel Tanzania comprises approximately
1,400 towers which form part of the Group's wireless
telecommunications infrastructure network. Under the terms of the
Transaction, the Group's subsidiary Airtel Tanzania plc will
continue to develop, maintain and operate its equipment on the
towers under a separate lease arrangement with the Purchaser.
The Transaction is the latest strategic divestment of the
Group's tower portfolio as it focusses on an asset-light business
model and on its core subscriber-facing operations.
The consideration for the Transaction is approximately $175m of
which approximately $157.5m is payable on the first closing date
(which is expected to take place in the second half of the Group's
current financial year) with the balance payable in instalments
upon the completion of the transfer of any remaining towers to the
Purchaser. Around $60m from the proceeds will be used to invest in
network and sales infrastructure in Tanzania and for distribution
to the Government of Tanzania, as per the settlement described in
the Airtel Africa IPO Prospectus document published in June 2019.
The balance of the proceeds will be used to reduce debt at Group
level.
-ENDS-
Enquiries
Airtel Africa - Investor Relations
Pier Falcione
Morten Singleton
Investor.relations@africa.airtel.com +44 207 493 9315
Hudson Sandler
Nick Lyon
Bertie Berger
airtelafrica@hudsonsandler.com +44 207 796 4133
About Airtel Africa
Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and
mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries in Africa,
primarily in East Africa and Central and West Africa.
Airtel Africa offers an integrated suite of telecommunications
solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data
services as well as mobile money services both nationally and
internationally.
The Group aims to continue providing a simple and intuitive
customer experience through streamlined customer journeys.
www.airtel.africa
About SBA Communications Corporation
SBA Communications Corporation is a leading independent owner
and operator of wireless communications infrastructure including
towers, buildings, rooftops, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and
small cells. With a portfolio of more than 33,000 communications
sites in fourteen markets throughout the Americas and South Africa,
SBA is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol SBAC. SBA is part of the
S&P 500 and is one of the top 20 Real Estate Investment Trusts
(REITs) based on market capitalization. For more information,
please visit: www.sbasite.com
About Paradigm
Paradigm Infrastructure Limited is a UK company focused on
developing, owning and operating shared passive wireless
infrastructure in selected growth markets. Founded in 2019,
Paradigm's executive and management team bring together significant
industry experience in starting up operations, managing and growing
successful businesses in the TowerCo sector. This includes the
establishment of new tower companies in Nigeria, South Africa,
Ghana, Uganda, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Columbia and
Paraguay, along with the operational management of over 90,000
tower sites across EMEA, LatAm and the USA. The team also has been
responsible for the management of significant build programs.
www.paradigm-infra.com
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END
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