Etisalat Nigeria Adopts New Name, 9Mobile. What Now For Subscribers?

Following the financial crises that have trailed Etisalat Nigeria, the embattled telecoms firm has adopted a new name 9Mobile, although it is yet to unveil this new development officially to the public.

Among its competitors, Etisalat had 20million subscribers. Few days ago after it announced it’s departure out of the Nigerian market after a failed negotiation with its lenders, it hasn’t reneged on its words. With the arrival of Etisalat into the telecoms market, many phone users switched networks for the freebies that Etisalat had to offer. It was convenient for every class.

A new name comes with a lot of changes: new logo, new policies, new board members (maybe) and management. In retrospect, the name change may indicate a complete change in course of action. As reported by Punch Nigeria, all UAE shareholders including state-owned investment fund Mubadala have exited the company, leaving it to the board and management as disclosed by the CEO of Etisalat International, Hatem Dowider.

The change of name will mean a lot to the old subscribers. With a new management and other possible changes, will the telecoms firm bounce back? The new CEO has reiterated his plans of getting the telecoms firm back on track to “make profit” and raise capital. If you asked me, I think the new CEO should be more keen on retaining its subscribers. After all, money is in people.

The mouth watery call rates offered by the Etisalat network, many phone users ported to benefit from the freebies. In fact, a survey carried out, had the telecoms firm as the best in customer care service in terms of promptness. With the new change, there are sure to be implications. Without a doubt, we are well aware that the new CEO may be more interested in making profit. With all the attention focused on restructuring and rebranding, there may be a lot of casualty in the employment section; a handful of individuals may be joining the train of job seekers.

What about the Etisalat Price for Literature? It may be a good bye, although nothing has been said publicly about it. This platform was the first to celebrate first time writers of published fiction book. One of the reasons Etisalat was revered was because of its attention to literature and its promotion of the publishing industry across the African continent. Although the annual competition has been scheduled to take place from July 3- September 18,  2017, we hope it doesn’t come to a halt, with the new restructuring.

There will be an update as soon an official statement is made.