Telkom Kenya, the nation's third-largest telecommunications provider, has seen a significant decline in its subscriber base, losing approximately 800,000 customers over the past three months. This decline follows a dispute with American Towers Corporation (ATC), which resulted in the switching off of 246 Telkom towers due to unpaid leasing fees in February 2023. Telkom's subscriber count fell to 1.3 million by December 2023, with the disagreement exacerbating financial strains, as Telkom's debt to ATC reached KES 7.1 billion ($51.7 million) by October 2023. Despite Telkom's efforts to resolve the dispute, ATC demanded substantial payments for tower reactivation, citing financial constraints as the reason for Telkom's inability to meet its obligations.

This highlights the significance of tower infrastructure in the telecommunications industry and underscores the challenges faced by operators in managing tower partnerships.

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