9mobile, Nigeria’s fourth-largest telecommunications provider, has seen its market share shrink to an all-time low of 1.99%, with its subscriber base remaining at 3.2 million for two consecutive months. According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), this marks a dramatic decline from its peak in 2015, when the company—then known as Etisalat Nigeria—had 23.4 million subscribers and controlled 15.7% of the market.
While 9mobile’s growth has stalled, other telecom giants have expanded their customer base. MTN Nigeria, the market leader, increased its share to 51%, reaching 84.6 million subscribers in December from 81.2 million in November, Airtel Nigeria also recorded growth, climbing to 56.6 million subscribers from 55.4 million in November while Globacom, which had faced subscriber losses earlier in 2024 due to a regulatory audit, returned from 19.6 million to 20.1 million subscribers by the end of the year.
Among the major telecom operators, 9mobile was the only one that failed to register any growth in 2024, raising concerns over its declining market position. In July 2024, Light House Telecom acquired a 95% stake in 9mobile in a deal valued at approximately $750 million. Since taking over, the new owners have appointed a new CEO and COO and also restructured key departments in December 2024 to improve operational efficiency.
However, despite these leadership changes, no significant capital investment has been made to revitalize the company. An industry executive, speaking anonymously, revealed that “The funding situation remains unclear. The new owners have not initiated any network expansion, maintenance, or infrastructure upgrades. Now that tariffs have increased, they might begin injecting funds, but so far, nothing has changed.”
This lack of investment is particularly alarming given 9mobile’s operational challenges, including network maintenance, customer retention, and competitive pricing.
Experts argue that for 9mobile to regain market share, it must modernize its network infrastructure to compete with rivals investing in next-generation technology, enhance customer acquisition strategies to attract new users and introduce competitive pricing or new service offerings to regain lost ground.
However, without a substantial capital injection, these objectives will be difficult to achieve, leaving 9mobile vulnerable to further decline as competitors continue to expand their reach.
