In a move that confirms an earlier exclusive report by Technology Times, MTN Nigeria has formally announced a groundbreaking three-year national roaming agreement with 9Mobile.
The deal, hailed as a landmark collaboration in the Nigerian telecoms sector, allows 9Mobile subscribers to access MTN’s extensive nationwide network, in a strategic effort to plug service gaps and improve coverage, following regulatory approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The official announcement by MTN Nigeria, the nation’s largest mobile network operator (MNO), validates Technology Times’ exclusive report that the NCC had given the green light to a comprehensive roaming and spectrum-sharing alliance between MTN and 9mobile. This partnership, insiders say, is modeled after a similar arrangement within MTN Group’s South African operations with Cell-C.
Following the deal, 9Mobile, the number four MNO by subscriber base, will piggyback on the extensive network of MTN Nigeria, the market leader, which has entered into a similar pact with the number two player, Airtel Nigeria.
Following the deal, 9Mobile, the number four MNO by subscriber base will piggyback on the extensive network of MTN Nigeria, the market leader, which has entered into a similar pact with the number two player, Airtel Nigeria.
Technology Times has learnt that both companies are billed to formally announce details of the national roaming pact at a joint press conference by MTN Nigeria and 9Mobile scheduled to hold today in Lagos.
“This agreement represents a significant step in our commitment to driving industry collaboration, improving customer experience, and supporting the NCC’s vision of a fully connected Nigeria,” Dr Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, says in a statement filed this week with the Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“Delivering the scale required for telecommunications services in Nigeria,” Toriola says in the regulatory filing, “requires strong collaboration between the private sector, public sector, and long-term investors. This agreement demonstrates what we can achieve when we collaborate, and we are delighted to announce it today after months of groundwork.”
According to MTN Nigeria, “the agreement allows 9Mobile subscribers to roam seamlessly on MTN Nigeria’s network, fostering industry collaboration and enhancing operational efficiencies. By leveraging our extensive coverage, 9Mobile can provide mobile communication services to its customers.”
The announcement has been welcomed as a major development in Nigeria’s telecoms industry and comes at a time when MTN is reinforcing its market leadership. As of April 2025, MTN Nigeria commands a dominant 52.42% share of the mobile market, with 90.5 million subscribers, according to official data. In comparison, 9Mobile’s subscriber base has dwindled to just under 3 million, representing 1.72% of the market.
According to the NCC’s latest industry data for April 2025, MTN serves 90,508,170 million subscribers, representing 52.42% of Nigeria’s mobile market. By contrast, 9Mobile has 2,964,445 million subscribers, representing 1.72% of the market, lagging far behind Airtel’s 58.6 million (33.93%) and Globacom’s 20.6 million (11.93%).
How Technology Times broke the story
The confirmation by MTN Nigeria validates an exclusive report published earlier by Technology Times, which revealed that the NCC had approved a national roaming and spectrum-sharing arrangement between the two MNOs.
Industry insiders who spoke to Technology Times said that the agreement was crucial for 9Mobile, which has been grappling with network challenges, subscriber losses, and financial constraints.
Exclusive: NCC approves MTN Nigeria-9Mobile roaming, spectrum deals
As of April 2025, MTN Nigeria commands a dominant 52.42% share of the mobile market, with 90.5 million subscribers, according to official data. In comparison, 9Mobile’s subscriber base has dwindled to just under 3 million, representing 1.72% of the market.
“Barring any last-minute change, 9Mobile, which recently announced a major turnaround plan, will ride on the wings of rival MTN Nigeria,” Technology Times reported earlier.
This development also comes amid a broader revival strategy being implemented by Obafemi Banigbe, 9Mobile’s CEO, who assumed office just six months ago. His turnaround plan targets restoring the telecoms company’s fortunes and regaining the 22 million subscribers it once boasted at its peak between 2014 and 2016.
9Mobile CEO on $3 billion recovery plan
Banigbe, a seasoned telecoms executive, disclosed during a media chat attended by Technology Times that 9Mobile is embarking on a four-phase, $3 billion transformation program aimed at repositioning the operator as a “service-first” organisation.
“The first thing for us is really service-first. We have to reposition ourselves as a service organisation. To do that, it means that we have to refresh our entire infrastructure from everything you can think of in making a telecoms network work,” the 9Mobile explained.
“The first thing for us is really service-first. We have to reposition ourselves as a service organisation. To do that, it means that we have to refresh our entire infrastructure from everything you can think of in making a telecoms network work,” the 9Mobile explained.
Once a major player with over 22 million subscribers, 9Mobile has seen a drastic fall in its user base, dropping to as low as 3.3 million subscribers by October 2024, due to years of underinvestment, rising operational costs, and outdated infrastructure.
“We are dealing with a lot of obsolete infrastructure, and then we are dealing with a whole lot of issues of declining revenue, declining subscriber base, costs that are skyrocketing in the business,” the CEO said.
Banigbe’s turnaround strategy is structured in four phases:
- Stabilisation – Improving network quality, reducing costs, and lifting employee morale.
- Modernisation – Upgrading 9Mobile’s radio network, core network, billing, charging, and ERP systems.
- Transformation – Revamping product offerings and rebranding the operator.
- Growth – Expanding market share by focusing on youth and SME segments.
“It’s like rebuilding the entire network from the scratch,” Banigbe noted. “And the good news is that we have secured the commitment of our shareholders and the new investors in the business to secure the required amount of money that we need in order to be able to implement the overall modernisation agenda.”
Banigbe believes that infrastructure sharing, such as the new roaming agreement with MTN, is crucial to 9Mobile’s recovery.
“I will build infrastructure where I must, and I will share infrastructure where I can,” he said, underscoring the company’s new operating philosophy.
Laying fibre optic cables in Nigeria can cost between $10,000 and $15,000 per kilometre, Banigbe revealed, and 70% of that is accounted for by trenching alone. As such, partnerships that allow shared infrastructure use are cost-efficient and effective.
In a move that confirms an earlier exclusive report by Technology Times, MTN Nigeria has formally announced a groundbreaking three-year national roaming agreement with 9Mobile. Image credit: Image FX.
Laying fibre optic cables in Nigeria can cost between $10,000 and $15,000 per kilometre, Banigbe revealed, and 70% of that is accounted for by trenching alone. As such, partnerships that allow shared infrastructure use are cost-efficient and effective.
For 9Mobile, a chance to rebuild
Banigbe is optimistic that Nigeria’s growing population, increasing demand for digital services, and government support for infrastructure rollout offer 9Mobile the opportunity to reclaim lost market share.
“Those are market shares that we can still regain,” Banigbe said. “Young people are still the majority from the point of view of demography as far as the Nigerian population is concerned. There is still a chance for us to be able to recapture our lost brand. It requires a lot of work, but the underlying thing that has to happen is that we must bring back service quality in our network and the customer experience that we are used to.”
He also praised the government’s fibre optic initiative:
“You see, now the government has announced that they want to do this 90,000 kilometre of fibre. That effectively means that if the government does it as a shared infrastructure, then we as 9Mobile would not need to go and build thousands of kilometres of fibre just because we want to extend broadband into some areas that we don’t have infrastructure in.”
Technology Times analysts reckon that with regulatory support, strategic partnerships like the MTN-9Mobile roaming agreement, and a $3 billion revitalisation roadmap under Banigbe’s leadership, 9Mobile appears poised for a significant comeback. MTN, on its part, is leveraging the deal to advance its vision of nationwide digital inclusion, marking a collaborative turning point in the Nigerian telecoms landscape.
As the Nigerian telecoms market continues to evolve, telecoms analysts reckon, the MTN-9Mobile alliance serves as a bold example of how industry cooperation, backed by clear strategic planning and regulatory support, can drive value creation, improve services, and ensure broader connectivity for Nigerians across the country.
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