New Delhi: Indus Towers, India’s largest telecom tower infrastructure provider, has announced the incorporation of two wholly owned subsidiaries in Nigeria and Zambia, marking its first foray outside India. According to a regulatory filing, Indus Towers aims to explore opportunities to set up passive telecom infrastructure in those countries, which are high-growth markets with growing internet penetration.
In an earlier interview to Moneycontrol in October 2025, Prachur Sah, MD and CEO of Indus Towers, had said the company aimed to expand into Africa in the next 3-6 months, starting with Nigeria, Zambia and Uganda.
“We strongly believe Africa is where India was a few years back, offering strong growth opportunities for both telecom operators and tower companies. We intend to replicate Indus’ proven operating model by building high-quality, cost-efficient infrastructure tailored to local conditions,” he had said.
“Our entry into Africa is supported by an anchor customer. We will leverage Airtel’s strong presence in these markets,” he added, as the company aims to spend $200-300 million for its African foray.
Though Airtel is present in 14 African markets, just having Airtel’s blessings will not be enough. It will be competing with established players like Nigeria-based IHS Tower, which manages almost 25,775 towers across the continent. Other players include Helios Towers (14,515) and American Towers (25,775), as telecom operators make a beeline for this developing market that still has room for growth.
There are almost 218,000 installed towers across Africa, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence. This could rise to 273,000 by 2030, with a CAGR of over 4.5%, as companies look to grab market share through cheap smartphones and internet plans.
