Etisalat has transferred 555 telecoms towers in Nigeria to infrastructure specialist IHS Towers as part of a deal that was signed a year ago.
In a statement on Monday, IHS said the transfer formed the second tranche of an agreement between itself and Etisalat. The first tranche saw Etisalat part with 2,136 cell sites in August last year.
The firms did not disclose the value of any part of the deal.
The sale and leaseback of the towers will enable Etisalat to increase network capacity "and to accelerate the rollout of coverage and new services to [its] customers," said Matthew Willsher, CEO of Etisalat Nigeria.
"For Etisalat, the partnership lowers operational costs and supports a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage," added Issam Darwish, IHS group CEO.
The towers company explained that it has installed a number of alternative energy sites in Nigeria in the past year and is deploying advanced generators, batteries and alternative power solutions in a bid to reduce power consumption. By the end of 2016, IHS says 80% of its towers will be run on hybrid solar solutions.
Having completed the Etisalat deal, IHS has a portfolio of 15,500 towers under its management in Nigeria and 23,100 across Africa.
