Overview: Today, we’re going to explore IHS Towers - the African telecommunications infrastructure company. We’ll discuss the story across the following areas:
Telecom tower infrastructure context
IHS Towers' early history
Product & monetization strategy
Competitive positioning & potential exit options
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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