PowerCom, a leading ICT infrastructure provider in the country, has completed four transmission towers at the coast and an additional tower in Rehoboth. The towers were constructed to increase PowerCom’s footprint and asset base to best service ICT players and offer last-mile connectivity. The commissioned towers will enable operators constantly seeking to improve coverage and increase capacity to deploy a vast array of services to customers, which may range from 2G, 3G, 4G and 4.5G services. The constructions of the towers valued at N$5.2 million commenced on 13 January 2020 and were handed over on 5 June 2020. Three of the towers are located in Walvis Bay, one in Swakopmund and another in Rehoboth.
PowerCom CEO, Alisa Amupolo, explained that PowerCom has aligned itself with the growth of these towns and has responded to growing demands of its inhabitants in as far as connectivity is concerned. “By providing these infrastructures, it means individuals and businesses can communicate and facilitate business, furthermore adding value to our country’s economic growth,” she stated.
“The previous infrastructure was developed to address the gaps in coverage and capacity in line with the growing demands for those respective towns. The novel towers cater for the influx of citizens and new businesses in those areas, enabling improved services for the communities of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Rehoboth,” Amupolo added.
According to Amupolo, the completion of towers is in line with identified needs and unrivalled opportunities for PowerCom. “The completion of the towers has become a launchpad for more expansion. It is evident that there is an appetite for new infrastructure to address coverage and capacity challenges. It also means revenue growth as the tower is built for multiple tenancies in staying true to our business model.”
With the completion of the said towers, PowerCom anticipates the acceleration of the remaining 14 projects, which were impacted by Covid-19 to be central to its day-to-day operations. “We will particularly focus on towers where land has been acquired, namely; Onkani, Enghodi, Kupferquelle and Ncaute and we anticipate that by August 2020 construction would commence, taking us all the way to the end of the financial year,” said Amupolo. “We will also keep our finger on the pulse with risk management which is aggravated by Covid-19 to curb further delays on-site acquisition with municipalities and town councils on the construction of another leg of towers in the pipeline,” she added.
From a business point of view, PowerCom has created indirect value for its shareholder with approximately N$5 million and from a balance sheet perspective, the company has countered the harsh reality of depreciation, which is inevitable in a fixed asset environment, Amupolo explained. As PowerCom wraps up the third quarter and marks the beginning of the fourth quarter, the company looks forward to current and potential tenants onto its newly constructed towers and giving them onsite support. “Though Covid-19 did affect the completion of the last milestones, we can proudly say that the towers are standing fully,” Amupolo concluded.