9mobile has confirmed its roaming partnership deal with MTN Nigeria, announcing that the service will be fully rolled out nationwide this July.
On July 2, MTN announced a three-year national roaming
agreement with Emerging Markets Telecommunications (EMT) Services Limited.
MTN had said the connectivity arrangement would enable
9mobile subscribers to access its extensive network infrastructure across the
country, promoting industry collaboration and improving operational efficiency.
The “commercial partnership” comes amid numerous challenges
that threaten 9mobile’s market competitiveness.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Obafemi Banigbe,
the chief executive officer (CEO) of 9mobile, said the company is currently
testing the service to ensure seamless connectivity for subscribers.
“At the moment, we have deployed a service testing in some
regions, just to make sure that we are working correctly without any
interruption,” Banigbe said.
“We expect that all our tests will be completed over the
weekend. So, we expect that within the month of July, we will be able to have a
rollout across the country based on the outcome of the tests that we have
done.”
He said the collaboration is designed to expand network
coverage, drive operational efficiency, and improve customer experience without
requiring subscribers to take any additional action.
“What the subscriber needs to do when we roll out nationwide
is just switch on your phone,” the CEO said.
“If your number is active, meaning you have recharged within
the last 90 days, you don’t need to re-register. If you haven’t recharged, you
simply recharge, and you will be able to latch onto the 9mobile network just
like before.”
Banigbe said subscribers will continue to access the network
under the 9mobile brand, with billing and other services remaining unchanged.
He described the deal as a purely commercial arrangement
based on a framework that is “profitable to MTN and affordable to 9mobile,”
adding that both parties will remain competitors in the market.
The 9mobile CEO said the initiative reflects efforts to
promote industry efficiency, reduce duplication of infrastructure, and ensure
investors get returns — key factors in attracting foreign direct investment
(FDI) to Nigeria’s technology sector.
“We need to build sustainability. We need to ensure that
capital deployment is deployed judiciously in a way that can bring returns back
to the investor,” the tech executive said.
“You can see that our minister, and the president have been going around trying to attract investment to Nigeria, making sure that people can invest their money in Nigeria.
“In line with the mandate of the current government,
championed by the president and championed by the honourable minister of
communications, we want to make sure that Nigeria becomes a destination for
foreign direct investment, especially in the technology sector.”
‘PARTNERSHIP ALIGNS WITH NCC, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES’
Also speaking, Karl Toriola, the CEO of MTN Nigeria,
described the partnership as the first of its kind in the country and a
reflection of the industry’s shift from competition to ‘co-opetition’.
Toriola was represented by Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the telco’s
chief enterprise business officer.
“We have made the decision to collaborate in areas that
drive efficiency, while competing on service, innovation, and customer
experience,” he said.
He added that the deal aligns with the Nigerian
Communications Commission’s (NCC) vision to deepen digital acceleration,
improve customer experience, and promote industry sustainability.
The MTN CEO thanked the NCC, under the leadership of Aminu
Maida, its executive vice-chairman, and Bosun Tijani, the minister of
communications, innovation, and digital economy, for supporting policies that
encourage cost-effective partnerships in the sector.
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