9mobile and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc have officially rolled out their national roaming agreement, a landmark move approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that is poised to significantly enhance telecommunications services across Nigeria. This three-year pact allows 9mobile subscribers to seamlessly roam on MTN Nigeria’s extensive network, drastically improving 9mobile’s coverage and service quality for its customer base.
This partnership goes beyond simple infrastructure sharing; it’s a strategic shift towards greater operational efficiency, stronger connectivity, and an enhanced user experience. It also lays the groundwork for deeper collaboration, including a proposed spectrum leasing deal. Under this, 9mobile will lease its 900MHz (5MHz) and 1800MHz (15MHz) bands to MTN for three years, further boosting MTN’s network capacity and service quality.
Obafemi Banigbe, CEO of 9mobile, hailed the partnership as “a bold resurgence for 9mobile.” He emphasized that it empowers the company to meet the needs of its customers, particularly youthful and enterprise users, by delivering consistent, high-quality service as it expands city by city in the coming weeks.
Banigbe also acknowledged the crucial roles played by Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, and Dr. Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, for fostering an environment conducive to such progressive industry collaboration and advocating for a resource-efficient, consumer-first telecom ecosystem.
“In today’s telecom environment, access is more strategic than ownership,” Banigbe added. He highlighted that investing in commercially viable and sustainable access to infrastructure, rather than duplicating networks, is key. He noted that network infrastructure typically accounts for 70–75% of an operator’s costs, meaning savings can be reinvested into innovation and customer experience. “At 9mobile, our mantra is simple: build infrastructure where necessary, share it where possible,” he concluded.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, described the agreement as a significant milestone for the sector. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to industry innovation, customer-centricity, and support for the NCC’s goal of a fully connected Nigeria,” he said. Toriola emphasized that the agreement reflects MTN’s “shared value philosophy,” prioritizing partnerships that benefit the entire ecosystem. He also praised Dr. Tijani’s efforts in promoting meaningful collaboration as a crucial driver of digital access, service quality, and nationwide inclusion.
This pioneering agreement sets a new benchmark for infrastructure sharing in Nigeria, demonstrating how competitors can collaborate to address systemic challenges, reduce redundancies, and collectively transform the industry. Ultimately, this will deliver broader coverage, better service, and faster access to emerging technologies for Nigerian consumers.