Helios Towers is reviving plans for an initial public offering, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Its advisers are resuming preparations for an IPO that could value Helios at about USD 3 billion and it is considering filing for the share sale as soon as this year, they said. The tower owner is weighing London and Johannesburg as listing venues, though it has not made a final decision, one of the people said.
In March 2018, Helios announced its intention to carry out an IPO in London and Johannesburg to let shareholders such as Soros Fund Management reduce their stakes. It quickly abandoned the plans with little explanation, saying two weeks later its owners had decided against a listing despite receiving "considerable interest" from potential investors.
Any deal would add to the USD 1.8 billion of IPOs by telecommunications-related companies this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Helios was one of a number of tower owners, including fellow African operator IHS Towers, that abandoned listing plans in 2018.
