| Invested through |
|
|---|---|
| Asset Classes | Listed equity |
| Impact strategy | Impact Equities and Bonds |
| ISIN code | GB00BJVQC708 |
| Industry group | Communication Services |
| Aligned with SDGs |
Helios Towers is a leading independent tower company in Africa and owns and operates telecommunications towers and passive infrastructure in high-growth African markets including Ghana, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, and Senegal. The company leases its site space to mobile network operators to accommodate their telecommunications equipment. This enables these operators to provide telecommunication services such as mobile data, and wireless voice and messaging services. Helios Towers offers both 'co-location' services, where operators share space on existing sites alongside other operators, and 'build-to-suit' services, involving commissioning new sites in specific locations for operators. By 2020, Helios Towers operates over 8,600 sites that host passive infrastructure of over 17,000 tenants, and has over 400 employees, all in Africa.
Investment rationale
Telecommunications technology enables people to connect with each other which is key for inclusion and empowerment in this increasingly digital society. Helios Towers provides tower sites where mobile network operators install their telecommunications equipment and thereby enables operational mobile networks and improving of mobile network coverage. Helios Towers has tower sites in 6 countries in Africa, where fixed-line telephony and mobile penetration is still low, and a mobile phone is the main access point to digital infrastructure and basic services. The increasing coverage of mobile networks therefore plays a key role for development and empowerment as it provides easy access to communication, health care, education, finance, payment services, news, e-commerce, culture, and entertainment. This way, people have better access to participate in society and can provide better opportunities for children to access education and healthcare. The 7,356 towers operated by Helios Towers provide mobile coverage to over 109 million people. The infrastructure sharing model of Helios Towers also has a positive environmental impact as it saves materials and energy compared to each mobile network operator building their own towers.