Better days are here for 9mobile’s 2.97 million subscribers after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) finally approved the company’s long-awaited national roaming deal with MTN Nigeria.
In a notice filed on the Nigerian Exchange, MTN announced that the telecom regulator has signed off on a three-year nationwide roaming deal with Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited (9mobile). Under the agreement, 9mobile subscribers will now be able to roam on MTN’s extensive network, potentially solving long-standing coverage and service issues that have plagued it.
This deal is meant to bring new life to 9mobile’s frustrated users. “When is NCC going to make a move on 9mobile? It is not working,” said Kemi Alaka, who has not been able to use her network for weeks and can’t port to another network.
“My 9mobile barely has network reception, but I can’t throw it away because it is linked to my account,” said Doyin Adebiyi. “The last time I had network for a week was around January.”
National roaming allows mobile subscribers to automatically make calls, use data, and access other services outside their operator’s coverage area by connecting through another network. The initiative supports infrastructure sharing, a model MTN is already exploring through a similar agreement with Airtel.
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MTN and 9Mobile’s deal has been in the works since the NCC allowed both mobile network operators (MNOs) to trial national roaming services for three months between August 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020.
“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,” said Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria.
“Delivering the scale required for telecommunications services in Nigeria 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.”
9mobile has faced tough times since its technical partner and investors left and was recently acquired by LH Telecoms Nigeria, a subsidiary of Light House Capital. However, this deal has yet to stem subscriber loss, which has fallen from 4.65 million to 2.97 million since the takeover.
With this new agreement in place, 9mobile can now tap into MTN’s national infrastructure to offer better coverage, voice, and data services. In return, MTN, with 90.51 million subscribers, gains access to 9mobile’s valuable spectrum holdings, including the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz bands.
