(Telecompaper) Etisalat Nigeria has announced the sale of 2,136 of its towers to IHS Holding (IHS). The transaction, the first by a major GSM operator in Nigeria, is expected to close later this year. The partnership with IHS is designed to promote network sharing, ensure higher quality, sustain reliable mobile services, lower overall costs and also promote a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage and increased investments in alternative energy solutions. Over the past 18 months, IHS has installed a large number of alternative energy sites in Nigeria. These investments in addition to further investments in its Network Operations Centre (NOC) mean that uptimes of over 99 percent are achieved on its owned sites. Under the terms of the transaction, IHS has committed to investing a further USD 100 million in the towers acquired, on advanced generators, efficient batteries and alternative energy solutions to reduce diesel consumption and improve efficiency of grid use. Upon the conclusion of this transaction, IHS will own and manage over 6,540 towers in Nigeria. IHS will market services on the towers promoting tower sharing and colocation to help drive network improvements.