
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
Tags: cellphone tower, landlord, Telkom