Could 9mobile’s roaming deal with MTN revive its ailing fortune?

9mobile has secured regulatory approval to initiate a national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria. This development, approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), allows 9mobile to ride on MTN’s extensive network infrastructure starting June 2025. The implications of this agreement are profound, not just for 9mobile’s long-term viability but for the broader industry’s evolving model of competition, cooperation, and spectrum utilisation.

The approval marks the end of a regulatory journey that began over five years ago. Since its rebranding from Etisalat Nigeria in 2017 following a financial crisis and subsequent takeover, 9mobile has struggled to maintain relevance in Nigeria’s increasingly competitive telecom market. Subscriber numbers dwindled, network quality plummeted, and the company lagged behind its peers in both service delivery and innovation.

The new roaming deal effectively offers 9mobile a second chance at national relevance. Under the agreement, 9mobile subscribers will be able to access MTN’s superior coverage for voice, SMS, and data services in areas where 9mobile lacks network presence or sufficient infrastructure. This arrangement, while rare in Nigerian telecom history, is a globally accepted industry model that can foster service quality improvements without duplication of infrastructure.

But this is not a one-way street. In return for MTN’s roaming support, the larger operator will gain access to 9mobile’s underutilised spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz bands. These frequencies, crucial for mobile broadband and voice services, are likely to enhance MTN’s service quality, especially in high-density or previously underserved areas.

This kind of resource exchange, roaming for spectrum, exemplifies a more symbiotic, less zero-sum model of telecom competition that regulators globally are increasingly encouraging.

Implications for 9mobile: Resuscitation through reach

From a market performance perspective, 9mobile has languished as the distant fourth player among Nigeria’s mobile network operators. As of early 2025, its subscriber base hovers below 13 million, less than one-fifth of Airtel’s and less than one-seventh of MTN’s. Much of this has been attributed to patchy network coverage, high call drop rates, and data reliability issues.

The MTN roaming partnership now gives 9mobile a real chance to reverse this downward spiral. By immediately expanding its coverage footprint, 9mobile could:

• Improve user satisfaction in previously underserved regions.
• Retain its remaining subscriber base.
• Launch aggressive customer acquisition campaigns with the backing of improved service delivery.
• Reduced capital expenditure on network rollouts could free up resources for other critical initiatives like product innovation, digital finance offerings, or rural outreach campaigns.

What’s in it for MTN from this deal?

MTN, already the market leader with over 84 million subscribers, is not entering this deal out of benevolence. The access to 9mobile’s largely idle spectrum is an attractive incentive. In a country like Nigeria, where data consumption is exploding and urban congestion puts pressure on existing networks, more spectrum means more capacity and better service for millions.

This is especially valuable in urban regions like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, where MTN’s customer density is high and 4G/5G rollout ambitions are constrained by limited bandwidth.

With this deal, MTN fortifies its network at relatively low operational cost, sidestepping regulatory red tape that often accompanies spectrum auctions.

While for the NCC, this approval reflects its ongoing policy direction to promote infrastructure sharing, spectrum efficiency, and affordable, quality services across Nigeria. Over the last few years, the Commission has increasingly pushed for passive and active sharing models, recognising that duplicative infrastructure in a capital-intensive sector often leads to inefficiencies that harm consumers.

By endorsing this roaming deal, the NCC signals its willingness to support creative commercial arrangements that help weaker operators survive while rewarding market leaders for their scale and stability.

Overall, the success or failure of this roaming partnership could set a precedent for the Nigerian telecom industry and even for other African markets grappling with similar challenges. If 9mobile manages to stabilise or grow its user base, we could see more of these arrangements emerge, particularly between urban-focused smaller operators and rural-dominant giants.

Moreover, such partnerships could change how competition is defined. Instead of merely trying to outbuild or out-spend one another, telecoms may increasingly look at cooperative strategies for mutual benefit. This could drive down operational costs, hasten rural coverage, and open doors to new services like shared mobile money networks or cross-operator digital platforms.

9mobile’s roaming agreement with MTN may not be a silver bullet, but it is unquestionably a lifeline. For a company that has teetered on the edge of irrelevance, it marks a chance to once again compete on service, not just survival. For MTN, it’s a smart, strategic acquisition of spectrum resources that enhances its long-term competitiveness.

In a sector where infrastructure is destiny, this deal might just be the spark 9mobile needed to get back in the game and a sign that collaboration, not conquest, could be the future of African telecom.