• Globacom moves to stop spectrum lease, raises monopoly concerns

• Firm denies blocking porting activities, faces boardroom crisis

In the last 20 months, about 10.3 million subscribers of 9mobile operated by Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS) either ported from the network or tossed away their SIM cards.

This comes as the company continues to sink into multiple crises, including a petition to stop its spectrum sharing agreement with MTN and an ownership conflict.

Checks showed that as of June 2023, there were about 13.5 million telephone lines active on the network, but as of January 2025, 9mobile was holding on to only 3.2 million users.

The NIN-SIM audit completed in September 2024 also impacted the fortunes of 9m0bile within the period under review. For subscribers on the network, the last 18 months have been harrowing. Though poor telephone services have ravaged the sector, despite promises of improved operation from service to quality of experience as canvassed by the Dr. Aminu Maida-led Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), poor services have ruined the 9mobile network.

The remaining loyal subscribers on the network have been subjected to including zero network signal, non-availability of customer service and lately, inability to port from the network, which the network has denied.

9mobile, formerly Etisalat, about nine years ago, was a major force in Nigeria’s telecoms sector for its niche service, especially because of its data offering and youth-focused and customer-centric deliverables.

Since the exit of the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etisalat in 2017, the fortune of the once vibrant operator has gone south. As of 2016, it boasted of 22.5 million subscriber base and a 14 per cent market share; now, 9mobile struggles to retain the loyalty of three million users.

Etisalat entered the Nigerian market in 2008 and experienced significant growth, identifying and catering to the unserved young subscriber segment. By 2014-2015, the company achieved a record 18 per cent growth, reaching 22 million subscribers.

Etisalat had obtained a $1.2 billion syndicated loan in 2013 from a consortium of 13 Nigerian banks, which it failed to pay back. This led to the takeover by the banks on June 20th, 2017.

But following the interventions by the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), new owners took over, and the company rebranded to 9mobile. 9mobile, upon rebranding, promised to sustain and continuously provide innovative and value-adding propositions. These promises seem far-fetched because it has continued to lose customers to other players in the market.

Today, the new management of 9mobile, headed by Obafemi Banigbe as the Chief Executive Officer, is shopping for over $3 billion in investment to rejig its services in the face of internal wrangling of shareholders. 9mobile is also facing issues from competitors, especially Globacom, as regards its spectrum lease agreement with MTN.

The spectrum lease agreement, according to findings, was framed in the form of infrastructure sharing, where 9mobile can make use of MTN’s wave bands, where it has no reach, and MTN can also do the same.

Sources within the industry told The Guardian that this arrangement did not sit well with Globacom, which has petitioned the NCC over the deal. In the ‘Letter of Objection to The Spectrum Leasing Between Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc’, Globacom raised the alarm over the transaction, said reports.

According to sources, Globacom is claiming that the deal, which granted MTN Nigeria access to additional frequency bands leased from 9mobile, is posing a grave risk to the country’s $76 billion telecoms sector and may entrench a market monopoly. The deal, Globacom argued, is threatening the fragile balance in Nigeria’s telecom market.

The challenge is not with 9mobile but MTN, according to sources. Globacom believes that MTN, having access to 9mobile spectrum, could make it a monopoly and deepen its dominance.

Globacom claimed in its letter to NCC that MTN already possesses 10MHz in the 700MHz band acquired from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), 20MHz in the 800MHz band from Visafone and InterCellular and 10MHz in the 1800MHz band and 5MHz in the 900MHz band, recently renewed up to April 2027 from NTEL through spectrum leasing.

Further analysis revealed that spectrum acquisition among the MNOs showed that MTN leads with 215, which include 10 in (700MHz), 20 in (800MHz), 20 in (900MHz), 25 in (1800MHz), 10 in (2100MHz), 40 in 2600 (MHz) and 100 in (3500MHz).

Airtel has 15 in (900MHz), 15 in (1800MHz), 10 in (2100MHz), 30 in (2600MHz), 100 in (3600MHz), making a total of 170. Globacom has 10 in (700MHz), 5 in (900MHz), 15 in (1800MHz), 10 in (2100MHz), 40 TDD in (2600MHz), which totals 40 TDD and 40TDD.

For 9mobile, it has 5 in (900MHz), 15 in (1800MHz), and 10 in (2100MHz), which equals 30. While the battle over the spectrum lease agreement rages on, there is still an ownership tussle.

Last month, Abubakar Funtua, son of the late business mogul, Isa Funtua, sued Hayatu Hadejia and Seltrix Limited at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the ownership and control of 9Mobile.

Other defendants are Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff, Theophilus Danjuma, and his company, LH Telecommunication Limited. Others included in the suit are Seltrix Limited (named as the 1st defendant), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the NCC, Mr Hadejia, Teleology Nigeria Limited and Mohammed Edewor, a director at Teleology Nigeria Limited.

The plaintiff urged the court to declare he is the beneficial owner of the N43 million ordinary shares held in trust for him by the 1st defendant, Seltrix Limited, in the capital of the 3rd defendant, Teleology Nigeria Limited.

With the many battles still confronting the firm, Banigbe has revealed that it is shopping for a $3 billion investment to help reposition it for growth. He told journalists in December that there had not been any major investment in the firm in the last eight years.

“Now, as you all know, 9mobile has the weakest coverage in the market as far as 2G, 3G, and 4G are concerned. If we were to compete favourably, as we used to do, and as the traditional telecoms business requires, we would need to invest about $3 billion over the next four years in order for us to have a chance of catching up. The traditional model requires us to spend about $3 billion, which can be translated in today’s currency to about N4.8 trillion,” Banigbe said.

He further explained that out of the N4 trillion generated as revenue in 2023, 9mobile had just 2.4 per cent in market share. 9mobile in March dismissed claims of a shutdown rumour after its services went completely off for several weeks.

In the process, customers who wanted to port out of the network had lamented their inability to do so. Responding, the firm said: “We understand that some customers have recently faced challenges, particularly with Mobile Number Portability (MNP), a service that enables seamless network switching. We want to clarify that 9mobile has never restricted customers from porting to other networks.

“We remain fully compliant with industry regulations and are committed to delivering fair, transparent, and customer-focused services. While there have been temporary technical challenges affecting MNP, these issues have now been largely resolved.

“Some minor delays may still occur due to ongoing system optimisations, but we are actively working to ensure a smoother experience for all users.

“As a proudly Nigerian brand, we embody the resilient spirit of our people and remain steadfast in our commitment to overcoming challenges. We acknowledge the temporary service disruptions some customers may have experienced in different locations.”

Amid this milieu, Banigbe at a telecom event in Lagos, about a month ago, promised that within eight weeks, 9mobile service would be back and better. He said that in the next two months, services should get better.

We are aware of the challenges, and work is very much on to bring the service back optimally,” he said. The Guardian checks showed that, going by Banigbe’s promise of two months, the loyal customers remaining on the network should expect recovery by the third week of May 2025. (The Guardian)

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