Nationwide Roaming Deal Between MTN & 9Mobile Completed

The city of Lagos, Nigeria will witness a statewide rollout anticipated by the end of July, following the confirmation of a roaming cooperation between 9mobile and MTN.

MTN and Emerging Markets Telecommunications (EMT) Services Limited announced a three-year nationwide roaming agreement on July 2.

This was announced during a joint news conference yesterday in Lagos by MTN Nigeria’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, and 9mobile CEO, Obafemi Banigbe.

In order to foster industry cooperation and boost operational effectiveness, MTN had stated that the connectivity arrangement will allow 9mobile customers to utilize its vast nationwide network infrastructure.

The “commercial partnership” comes as 9mobile’s competitiveness in the market is threatened by a number of issues.

Obafemi Banigbe, the CEO of 9mobile, stated during a press conference on Thursday that the business is now testing the service to guarantee uninterrupted connectivity for users.

According to Banigbe, all roaming tests would wrap up over the weekend, and based on the outcomes, rollout will start throughout Nigeria.

“Technical activation preparations will be finished by the end of this weekend (July 5–6), enabling an instant rollout,” Banigbe stated.

He said that the collaboration would redefine connectivity for millions of people and was the first of its kind in Nigeria and throughout West, Central, and East Africa. 

Banigbe stated that stakeholders had long expected the partnership and emphasized its strategic significance.

“We are pleased to announce today that we have reached a three-year national infrastructure-sharing agreement with MTN,” he said.

Through the cooperation, 9mobile can use MTN’s radio infrastructure to increase coverage in places where it is not currently present.

Banigbe explained, “It is a commercial partnership focused on operational efficiency, not a merger or coalition.”

He stated that without requiring users to do anything more, the partnership also aims to increase network coverage, boost operational effectiveness, and enhance customer experience.

He went on to say that the deal is in line with 9mobile’s approach, which is to share where feasible and develop just where required.

Banigbe pointed out that by lowering capital expenditure and improving customer experience, the action will draw in additional telecom investors.

Because telecom requires a lot of capital, this partnership enables growth without duplicating infrastructure.

“We have currently implemented service testing in a few areas to ensure that we are operating properly and uninterrupted,” Banigbe stated.

“We anticipate finishing all of our tests over the weekend. Therefore, depending on the results of the tests we have conducted, we anticipate being able to roll out nationwide in July.

The market is still ripe for expansion, since 70 percent of Nigeria’s population is under 30 years old and is predicted to reach 400 million in 20 to 25 years.

“Freeloading is not allowed. This is neither a favor nor a subsidy. It’s a business agreement that guarantees both networks provide high-quality service, Banigbe stated.

According to Saint-Nwafor, the deal is an example of “co-opetition,” which is a combination of competition and cooperation in the telecom industry.

This is a first. “While still competing in service and innovation, we are proud to shift from pure rivalry to cooperation in efficiency,” she said.

“When we roll out nationwide, the subscriber just needs to turn on their phone,” the CEO stated.

She took pride in breaking new ground in Nigeria’s cellular industry and commended 9mobile for its cooperative strategy.

You don’t need to re-register if your number is active, which means you have recharged within the previous ninety days. Simply recharging will allow you to connect to the 9mobile network as previously if you haven’t already.

According to Banigbe, invoicing and other services will not change, and users will still be able to access the network under the 9mobile brand.

Both partners will continue to compete in the market, he said, characterizing the agreement as a strictly commercial one built on a framework that is “profitable to MTN and affordable to 9mobile.”

The plan, according to the CEO of 9mobile, represents attempts to ensure that investors receive returns, minimize infrastructure duplication, and enhance industry efficiency—all of which are important considerations in luring foreign direct investment (FDI) to Nigeria’s technology sector.

“We must create sustainability. The IT executive stated, “We must make sure that capital is used wisely in a way that can yield returns for the investor.

You may observe that the president and our minister have been traveling about attempting to entice foreign investment into Nigeria and ensure that individuals are able to do so.

“We want to ensure that Nigeria becomes a destination for foreign direct investment, particularly in the technology sector, in accordance with the mandate of the current government, which is supported by the president and the honorable minister of communications.”

MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola also spoke, calling the collaboration the nation’s first of its type and a sign of the industry’s transition from competition to “co-opetition.”

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the telco’s chief enterprise business officer, represented Toriola. Saint-Nwafor also praised the NCC and Dr. Aminu Maida, its Executive Vice Chairman, for facilitating this kind of industrial advancement.

He stated, “We have decided to compete on service, innovation, and customer experience, while collaborating in areas that drive efficiency.”

He went on to say that the agreement supports the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) goals of accelerating digitalization, enhancing consumer satisfaction, and advancing industry sustainability.

The NCC’s executive vice-chairman, Aminu Maida, and minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, Bosun Tijani, were commended by the MTN CEO for their support of policies that promote cost-effective collaborations in the industry.