Nigeria’s telecom market is proving too fierce for 9mobile. Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows the country’s smallest telecom by subscriber base, 9mobile, has seen its market share shrink to just 1.9% (3.2 million subscribers)—its lowest ever. While the telecom’s market share dipped, its subscriber base stayed flat, showing that other telecoms grew their active user base.
Yet, this decline didn’t happen overnight. The telecom has been losing market share over the years. In 2015, 9mobile held 15.7% of the market with 23.4 million users. By 2022, that number had dropped to 12.8 million. In September 2024, an NCC regulatory audit further slashed its market share to 2%. Now, at 1.9%, it’s losing ground fast.
9mobile is losing subscribers to its competitors. Over the past year, over 7,000 9mobile subscribers have ported to other network providers due to 9mobile’s poor internet service; the issues have persisted for two years due to its inferior broadband infrastructure reach compared to other telecoms.
As of September 2024, 9mobile’s download speed as an internet service provider (ISP) stands at 17.82 megabytes per second (Mb/s), which is nowhere near the level of other telecoms and ISPs in Ookla’s recent H2 2024 report.
Beyond its history of loan defaults, debts, and ownership changes, 9mobile is struggling to attract high-value users. Once a bold disruptor targeting young Nigerians, it has failed to keep up with rising tech demands and remote work trends in the country, which have seen tech workers demanding faster internet.
Deolu Ogunbanjo, president of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), believes 9mobile can only recover if it secures fresh capital. Its new owner, Light House Telecom, which acquired a 95% stake for $750 million in July 2024, is yet to invest in infrastructure or marketing to make the telecom competitive again—or show any intention of raising money.
Is history repeating itself? In 2018, Teleology acquired 9mobile but lacked the funds and strategy to revive it, leading to a failed attempt to raise capital. Will Light House Telecom follow the same path, or can it turn things around before it’s too late?
Dive deeper into our definitive reporting of 9mobile growth and decline to understand where it stands in the competitive Nigerian telecom market.
