Business
MTN, 9mobile begin network-sharing pilot, nationwide rollout set for July
Telecom operators MTN Nigeria and 9mobile have begun pilot testing a groundbreaking radio access network-sharing agreement, aimed at expanding mobile coverage and improving service quality across Nigeria.
A full-scale rollout is expected by the end of July, pending successful validation of system performance.
The partnership, approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), allows 9mobile to access MTN’s extensive radio access infrastructure while retaining control over its core network, customer billing systems, and user identity.
At a joint press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, 9mobile’s Chief Executive Officer, Obafemi Banigbe, described the deal as a critical step in the company’s turnaround strategy.
“We are proud to confirm a three-year national infrastructure-sharing agreement with MTN. This partnership enables us to expand coverage by leveraging MTN’s radio access network in areas where we previously had no footprint,” Banigbe said.
He stressed that the arrangement is purely commercial and not a merger or acquisition, but a strategic collaboration rooted in operational efficiency.
Once a major player in Nigeria’s telecom landscape, 9mobile has seen a sharp decline in its subscriber base—from over 23 million in 2015 to just about three million today—representing the smallest market share among the country’s mobile operators at approximately 1.9%.
Years of declining service quality, network outages, and poor customer support have eroded the company’s user base. NCC records show that 9mobile lost over 6,000 customers to other networks via mobile number portability in the last two months of 2024 alone.
Banigbe said the deal with MTN, Nigeria’s largest operator with over 90 million subscribers, will allow 9mobile to refocus its limited capital on customer experience and innovation, rather than duplicating infrastructure.
“There is no free ride here. Our subscribers remain ours. They’re billed by 9mobile and will continue to receive a seamless 9mobile experience,” he said.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, said the agreement reflects a shift in the telecom industry from pure competition to what she called “co-opetition”—collaborating for mutual efficiency while maintaining competitive service offerings.
“This is a demonstration of a modern model for telecom collaboration. We’re moving beyond tower sharing to sharing radio access infrastructure, which is how modern, capital-efficient networks are built,” she said.
Saint-Nwafor praised the NCC and its Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, for enabling a regulatory environment that supports infrastructure sharing, and commended the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, for prioritising shared infrastructure as a national objective.
According to MTN, the deal aligns with global best practices in markets where spectrum and capital resources are constrained, and is designed to accelerate the goals of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan by extending coverage to underserved areas.
Pilot tests are currently ongoing in selected locations, with the nationwide rollout expected later in July.
“This collaboration is more than a lifeline for 9mobile—it’s a blueprint for the future of telecoms in Nigeria,” Banigbe said. “It shows that innovation and partnership can go hand-in-hand to transform customer experience and bridge the digital divide.”
