Eaton Towers has inked a deal with Telkom Kenya to manage the operator’s 1 000 base stations. Under the 15-year management and leasing deal, Eaton will maintain Telkom Kenya’s existing sites and build new ones.

The deal extends Eaton’s partnership with France’s Orange, which controls Telkom Kenya, following a similar deal last year with Orange Uganda.

Telkom Kenya will retain ownership of its towers while Eaton invests in passive infrastructure upgrades and increasing the number of sites.

Orange already has passive infrastructure sharing arrangements in place in Uganda, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.

The tower management company has also successfully completed a third round of equity financing, provided by majority shareholder Capital International Private Equity Fund and its co-investment partners.

Eaton Towers CEO Alan Harper says the company is “delighted to be working in partnership with Orange as the first tower company to operate in Kenya”.

Telkom Kenya CEO Mickael Ghossein says the operator is confident the deal will allow it to expand its network and offer new services, particularly in rural areas.

“Through this agreement, we will be able to reduce our operational costs and, at the same time, minimise the environmental impact of our network by reducing the use of diesel fuel,” Ghossein says. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media