Telkom SA SOC Ltd. is looking to generate more value from its mobile-tower business, including a potential sale or spinoff.
South Africa's former landline monopoly is “actively exploring” tower deals, Chief Executive Officer Sipho Maseko said by phone after the company reported full-year earnings on Monday. “That will be a focus over the next 12 months.”
The attempt to cash in on a portfolio of about 6,500 towers shows Pretoria-based Telkom is moving to strengthen the balance sheet and preserve cash to weather a deep recession brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The company suspended its dividend pay-out policy for three years and scrapped all medium-term targets. About about 2,300 employees have accepted voluntary redundancy packages.
Telkom could unlock as much as 7.4 billion rand ($425.4 million) in additional value from selling all of its multi-tenant mobile tower portfolio, Nedbank analysts Preshendran Odayar and Ziyad Joosub said in an emailed note.
Demand for towers in South Africa may be on the rise as the country starts to build out 5G capabilities, Maseko said. Wireless carriers around the continent have been raising money from the sale of such assets, with specialist companies like Helios Towers Ltd. looking to expand.
Telkom shares declined 5.4% to 26.01 rand as of 14:40 p.m. in Johannesburg, extending a 12-month slump to 73%. The company is almost 40% owned by the South African government.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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