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Orange to sell Uganda towers to Eaton
15 March 2012
Orange Uganda signs network outsourcing and sale agreement with Ahuja’s Eaton Towers to cut costs
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Orange
Uganda
towers
Eaton Towers
France Telecom
infrastructure
Orange Uganda said it has signed a 15-year partnership agreement with Eaton Towers for the management and sale of its passive network infrastructure and assets. The partnership will exploit the coverage offered by the tower portfolio of Orange Uganda, and Eaton Towers’ ability to provide high network quality.
Eaton Towers is a UK based company that is chaired by Sanjiv Ahuja, former Orange CEO who is also chairman of the troubled US LTE venture LightSquared.
Philippe Luxcey, CEO of France Telecom-controlled Orange Uganda, said: “The partnership will enable us to expand our network and develop new multimedia services, in particular in rural areas, helping us achieve our ambition to provide the Ugandan population with the best network coverage and high-quality services.”
Alan Harper, the former Vodafone group director who is CEO of Eaton Towers, said: “Our ownership and management of the telecoms network infrastructure will ensure that Orange Uganda’s network is continually enhanced and expanded, whilst maintaining low operating costs for the mobile operator.”
The agreement includes outsourcing of the maintenance and operation of sites and provision of build-to-suit for new sites, to cut capital expenditure and costs.
Luxcey said: “Through this agreement, we will be able to reduce our operational costs and, at the same time, prevent the proliferation of masts thereby reducing the environmental and visual impact of our network, especially in urban and ecologically-sensitive areas.” GTB
Further reading from Global Telecoms Business:
American Tower buys in South Africa 08 Nov 2010
Vodafone outsources towers in Ghana 06 Oct 2010
Cell C to sell towers for network launch 06 Aug 2010
Interview: Sanjiv Ahuja of Eaton Telecom Infrastructure 24 Jul 2009