8 months after roaming deal, T2mobile (9mobile) struggles to win back Nigerians

Perhaps you need a reference scenario and never let go? We have one in the Telecoms Industry. T2mobile, formerly 9mobile, would fit into that picture frame. 

Here is a brief historical context.

T2mobile entered Nigeria in 2008 as Etisalat, promising Nigerians quality service and good voice and data plans. Its affiliation with Abu Dhabi, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based, made the entry more promising.

After launch, Etisalat invested in core infrastructures and significant expansion, so that in less than six years, the telecoms company had recorded over 16 million subscribers on its network. In fact, the telco recorded its highest-ever subscriber base, reaching 23.5 million users in September 2015, following months of monthly surges in network adoption. 

An Etisalat customer service centre…

However, the hit came in 2016.

Etisalat Nigeria collapsed when it defaulted on a $1.2 billion loan from a consortium of Nigerian banks, driven by the devaluation of the naira, which inflated the cost of serving the dollar-based debt. The financial crisis will later see Abu Dhabi exiting Nigeria in 2017 by surrendering its majority stake in Etisalat. 

To keep the network running and protect the interests of millions of subscribers, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) intervened, leading to a rebrand to 9mobile.

The effect of that rebrand was catastrophic. Between 2016 and 2020, 9mobile lost about 10 million subscribers following struggles to compete with MTN, Airtel and Globacom. Also, the absence of fresh funds to boost both operating expenditure and capital expenditure was another causal agent.

By the end of 2024, 9mobile had lost another 9 million users, with about 3.2 million subscribers. Though part of the reductions was due to an NCC audit of unregistered SIMs. But by late 2024, its market share had plummeted to 2.1%.

To reposition the brand, fresh investors injected fresh funds. This led to a rebrand from 9mobile to T2mobile, a move that repositioned the face value and helped regain some lost ground.

The roaming deal with MTN

T2mobile repositioning comes amid a  $3 billion investment backed by its new UK-based investor, Lighthouse Telecoms and chairman Thomas Etuh. The funding, to be rolled out over four years, will modernise the company’s outdated infrastructure. 

Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile, who maintained his role following the rebrand, announced in 2025 a total overhaul from radio networks to a new system. “It’s like rebuilding the entire network from scratch,” he said.

He added that the new management had to come up with four-phase recovery plans, which included the Stabilisation phase, Modernisation phase, Transformation phase and Growth phase. 

Notably, a significant move to its rebranding was signing a national roaming deal with MTN Nigeria. 

Approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in July 2025 and effective in October 2025, the three-year agreement allows 9mobile subscribers to roam on MTN’s extensive network.

It enables users to use MTN’s infrastructure to make calls, send messages, and surf the internet where T2mobile’s network is weak, especially in rural areas. 

The rebirth and revival plan also included signing a multi-million dollar deal with Huawei to upgrade its network infrastructure. T2mobile will rely on Huawei’s technology, a cheaper and more resilient option, in the long run.

This way, the telco hopes to regain the love and loyalty of Nigerians.

Also Read: 9mobile rebrands in a bold move to stage a comeback and reclaim its place in Nigeria.

Yet, not so much has changed

Following the name change, T2mobile added close to 1.4 million users, a change attributed to a strong network performance in rural areas. 

The NCC’s Q4’25 quality of experience report showed that the telco had a median download speed of 24.9 Mbps in rural areas. This is more than MTN’s 15.8 Mbps, Airtel’s 10.6 Mbps and Globacom’s 9.5 Mbps.

However, its user numbers are still crawling.

Shortly after the rebrand, users dropped from 1 million to 744,044. By the end of 2025, it had increased to 780,237, with intervening months of rises and falls. The latest industry data shows that the figure now stands at 847,225 as of March 2026.

Notably, a massive event struck T2mobile in November 2025. IHS Towers disconnected the telco from 2,576 tower sites after it defaulted on a long-standing debt repayment. This set back its market regain struggle by many miles.

In all, the telco lost about 30,000 users that year. The figure represents about 72.7% of its total porting data. In contrast, it gained 107 subscribers (0.26% of the total that it lost) during the same year.

What the future holds

The slow growth reveals that the telco is struggling to recapture the trust of Nigerians. And this is an issue for companies that have witnessed two or more rounds of brand transition. It sends signals that “this company is unstable.”

Recall that during the renaming ceremony, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, notably remarked that the new name embodies the message of Nigerians who have experienced the days of Etisalat. “My message to T2 is simple, and I believe this is the message from the board to the management team as well. Let this rebrand be more than a change of colours or a new logo,” he said.

The journey for T2mobile has been tough. Yet, with consistency, it can rebuild from its present base of 3 million users.