The focus of my column in this edition is a little different, in that American Tower is not a pure technology player, it's a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), with a portfolio of over 171 000 communications sites, and a strong presence across the globe, including the key market of India. According to Motley Fool’s Millionacres site in January, American Tower is the largest REIT in the world, with a market capitalisation in excess of $102 billion, which dwarfs market rival Crown Castle, the next on the list of largest REITs in 2020, with a market cap of $59 billion. American Tower is also the largest tower company in Africa, overtaking the other two major players, namely Helios Towers and IHS Towers. Following some of its recent activities, it's likely to play a more prominent role on the continent.

American Tower’s description of itself is an ‘owner, operator and developer of multi-tenant communications real estate’. Last year, it bought out former rival Eaton Towers’ African presence for $1.85 billion, and even though it’s only in seven countries on the continent, that move gives it the largest portfolio in Africa. Although, the Eaton Towers deal helped to bulk out its portfolio of sites in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, it also has presence in Niger, Burkina Faso and two of the biggest African markets – South Africa and Nigeria.