In recent weeks, subscribers of Nigerian telecom operator 9mobile have flooded social media platforms like X with a barrage of complaints, painting a grim picture of prolonged service outages that have left millions disconnected.
The frustration is palpable, with users reporting network blackouts spanning days, weeks, and even months in some cases. What began as sporadic grumbling has escalated into a full-blown outcry, with subscribers demanding answers from both 9mobile and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The discontent started mainly on X, where subscribers have been vocal about their struggles. On March 17, user @swaggartype lamented:
“Thank you, 9Mobile, for abruptly leaving us helpless with rubbish service… we’re losing money and valuable relationships, please.”
The following day, @aysomethin shared a personal toll: “9mobile has been off the grid for a month now… I run my business with my 9mobile number… clients are complaining they can’t reach me.”
By March 20, @_oluwarotimi added, “@9mobileng service has been very poor for over 4 months with no way out or solution in sight.”
These posts, among countless others, highlight a pattern of unrelenting downtime that has disrupted lives and livelihoods.
The sentiment on X is echoed by @el_ibraheemah, who noted, “@9mobileng have been a disgrace for the past 4 months. Their network goes off almost every Thursday or Friday till maybe Tuesday… more than 10 times this year.”
Meanwhile, @seemb3r succinctly captured the trade-off: “9mobile is the WORST network. They have great prices, but they barely ever have service.” The hashtag #9mobileCares, once a beacon of customer service, now feels ironic as users tag the company and the NCC (@NgComCommission) in desperation, often to no avail.
What’s behind the outages?
9mobile’s official response has been sparse, but historical incidents provide clues. In December 2024, 9mobile the company issued an apology for outages linked to a fire at its Lagos Main Data Centre and subsequent vandalism in Lagos and Abuja. Services were restored in parts of the North and South-South, but the South-West, including Lagos, remained problematic.
Earlier, in August 2024, Leadership reported a multi-day outage tied to fibre cuts following the acquisition of 9mobile by LH Telecommunication Limited, a move meant to revitalise the struggling operator. These incidents suggest a recurring theme: ageing infrastructure, compounded by external disruptions, is buckling under pressure.
Yet, the current wave of complaints, stretching into March 2025, indicates that restoration efforts have faltered. Posts on X suggest outages are no longer isolated but systemic, with some users, like @aysomethin, reporting a month-long blackout. The lack of recent statements from 9mobile has fuelled speculation. Is this a failure of the new ownership to deliver on promises of transformation? Or are deeper financial and operational woes at play?
A history of decline
9mobile, once a formidable player as Etisalat Nigeria, has been on a downward trajectory since its rebranding in 2017 amid a financial downturn. The NCC’s data from November 2023, showed 9mobile losing 1,646 subscribers to competitors like MTN and Airtel via mobile number portability.
By March 2024, Nairametrics pegged its 9mobile active lines at 11.6 million, down from a peak of over 20 million. Industry analysts, including NATCOMS President Adeolu Ogunbanjo, have long pointed to underinvestment in infrastructure as a root cause, a sentiment echoed in Punch’s December 2024 report on the company’s “financial difficulties”.
The July 2024 acquisition by LH Telecommunication was hailed as a lifeline, but the persistent outages suggest the turnaround is faltering. Subscribers like @iamtennygee, who noted a full-day blackout on March 18 restored only by 2:02 PM the next day, underscore that even brief recoveries are fleeting.
However, 9mobile’s woes are not isolated. Nigeria’s telecom sector faces systemic challenges, fibre optic cuts, vandalism, and power instability, exacerbated by the current economic woes. Yet, competitors like MTN and Globacom have maintained relative stability, raising questions about 9mobile’s operational resilience.
The NCC, tasked with oversight, has been criticised for inaction. @_oluwarotimi’s claim that the NCC “blocked the channel of porting” hints at regulatory hurdles compounding subscribers’ frustration, though no official confirmation exists as of today.
The social media uproar on X reveals more than just annoyance; it is a cry for accountability. Subscribers are not merely inconvenienced; they are losing business, missing emergencies, and abandoning a network they once trusted. The contrast between 9mobile’s affordable plans and its unreliable service, as @seemb3r noted, is a bitter pill. For a company already losing users, this could be a death knell unless swift action is taken.
What’s intriguing is the silence from 9mobile amidst the storm. Past apologies offered hope, but the absence of updates, especially as efforts to get reactions from the company’s representative were unsuccessful, suggests either a breakdown in communication or a problem too vast to quickly fix. The NCC’s continued silence further compounds the issue. Could this be a case of regulatory fatigue, or is a larger intervention brewing?
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