Nigerian telcos ntel and 9Mobile have partnered to offer national roaming services and the move has the approval of the telecoms sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The companies have announced approval by the NCC for a national roaming field trial from 1 December 2017 to 31 January 2018.

ntel is an established provider of broadband services and can only be accessed in five of the 36 states, as well as the capital city.

As a result of the partnership, subscribers will be able to leverage 9Mobile's national network.

This is the first significant attempt to implement the NCC's infrastructure and collocation services license, and offer subscribers access via any 2G or 3G handset within the specified trial zone.

A full national roaming agreement is expected following the successful completion of the trial.

ntel CEO Ernest Akinlola described the partnership as a significant step in the right direction for the company and the telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria.

"A full national roaming agreement with 9Mobile would provide our growing customer base with a seamless service over 4G/LTE superfast data and voice clarity as well as ubiquitous 3G and 2G coverage nationwide," said Akinlola.