Spurred by the latest Ooredoo-Zain mega-merger with TASC Towers, towerco penetration in MENA has reached almost 30% with plenty of room for growth. The success of the tower model in markets like Oman and Saudi Arabia, and the cementing of towerco services with key customers such as Zain Group and stc has meant that MNOs across the region have widely accepted the clear economic value and synergies for towerco presence. Nearly all mobile operators are reportedly at some stage of tower infrastructure evaluation, at least at board level.
The question that will determine the future of the next stage for the MENA tower industry will be how operators will look at bringing these portfolios to market.