Pan-African mobile communications infrastructure services provider IHS Towers (IHS), this week confirmed that it has signed and completed the second tranche of the Etisalat Nigeria transaction announced on 7 August 2014.

In a statement the company clarified that this portion of the transaction includes the transfer of 555 towers which is in addition to the 2,136 sites transferred more than a year ago.

The transaction is said to be part of the broader strategy to drive improvements in the quality of Etisalat's network performance and to accelerate the roll out of 2G, 3G and 4G coverage throughout Nigeria.

"This second tranche contains many of Etisalat's strategically important sites, requiring the special care and dedication to customer service for which IHS has become synonymous," the statement reads.

IHS says that following completion of this transaction, the company will manage over 15,500 towers in Nigeria and over 23,100 towers throughout Africa.

"All acquired towers will be connected to IHS' Network Operations Centres which ensures operations are optimised and IHS' market leading network uptimes of over 99 percent are maintained," the company says.

Matthew Willsher, Etisalat Nigeria CEO, explained that this transaction will enable the company to increase its network coverage and capacity while providing its over 23 million customers with more innovative solutions.

"At Etisalat, we are focused on satisfying our customers, which is why we partner with the best infrastructure solution providers to reinforce and sustain the quality of our network performance and to accelerate the roll-out of coverage and new services to our customers." he said.

Issam Darwish, executive vice chairman & Group CEO of IHS, said: "We are delighted to continue to be trusted by Etisalat Nigeria to manage their passive infrastructure. Etisalat already has one of the highest quality networks in Nigeria and our partnership is designed to further promote network sharing, and deliver higher quality and reliable mobile services. For Etisalat, the partnership lowers operational costs and supports a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage."

IHS has also confirmed that on the back of continued deployment of solution and investment in energy sources, by the end of 2016, 80% of all the company's towers will be run on hybrid solar solutions.