Landlord turns off Telkom’s cellphone tower

According to a recent article by MyBroadband, a frustrated property owner switched off a Telkom cellphone tower after the mobile network failed to pay him for electricity and rental.

• The tower sits on a commercial property in Glenhazel, Johannesburg
• Telkom and the owner reached an agreement to mount a base station on the building, allowing it to provide improved coverage in the area
• Telkom was to reimburse the owner for the cost of the electricity required to run the site
• Telkom also agreed to pay a monthly rental amount
• Initially bills were paid on time, but then payments became sporadic
• Telkom paid less than the agreed upon amount, or not at all
• Calls and e-mails to Telkom went unanswered
• The landlord warned Telkom that if he did not receive payment by a certain date, he would switch the tower off
• He received no reply and switched the tower off
• This has resulted in reduced coverage for local residents who are Telkom mobile or fixed-LTE customers