While European operators are cutting down assets at such a pace that most operators now have RAN sharing agreements with each other, in South Africa, MTN Group is bucking the trend and seeks to buy back its tower assets. This may seem like a left-field decision, but it ties in with MTN’s focus on core markets of Nigeria and South Africa. The pan-African group confirmed this week that it is in “advanced” talks to acquire the remaining 75, that it does not already own, of tower company IHS Holdings. The deal is expected to be valued at around $2 billion. IHS owns around 37,000 towers in Africa and Latin America, including a good chunk of MTN’s own towers. IHS paid…