9mobile, has received regulatory approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to launch national roaming services on MTN network, starting in June 2025.
The long-awaited decision comes nearly five years after initial discussions and provides a lifeline for 9mobile, whose market share has dwindled to 1.72% as of April 2025, down from 6.6% in 2020 when the proposal was first submitted.
Under the agreement, 9mobile subscribers will gain access to MTN’s infrastructure for calls, texts, and data in areas where 9mobile’s coverage is weak or unavailable.
For 9mobile, the deal offers a cost-effective way to expand coverage without the heavy investment required for nationwide infrastructure.
The operator sees this as an opportunity to regain lost subscribers and potentially reclaim its position in Nigeria’s competitive telecom market.
The deal also strengthens MTN’s position. In exchange for network access, MTN gains utilisation rights to 9mobile’s underused spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz bands—key frequencies for expanding coverage and improving data capacity.
For MTN, which serves over 84 million subscribers, this additional spectrum could reduce congestion and improve service quality.
While the NCC has not yet commented on the details of the agreement or any regulatory constraints that may apply, the move supports the regulator’s wider push for infrastructure sharing and spectrum efficiency in Nigeria’s telecom market, where operational costs remain high.
The June rollout, if successful could serve as a model for smaller operators struggling to compete against industry giants like MTN and Airtel.
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