Independent towercos own and market 3,681 of the 10,971 towers in Central America, representing penetration of 34%. Towercos building rather than buying will drive growth in the region, with the majority of “low hanging fruit” sale and leaseback transactions already complete. Potential inorganic growth is more likely to come from consolidation within the tower industry, with several ‘middle market’ towercos active in Central America and both SBA Communications and ‘new kids on the block’ Phoenix Tower International acquisitive.
SBA Communications leads the Central American market with 2,050 towers, 1,982 of which are included in this analysis as a product of their inclusion in SBA’s current site list (at 22 April 2015).