Nigerian telecom sector hit by subscriber migration as 9mobile struggles

Joy Agwunobi

In September, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector witnessed a significant shift, driven by a rise  in subscriber migration. This change was partly driven by the NIN-SIM linkage exercise, which added to the movement of subscribers across different providers. As a result, telecom companies experienced different levels of customer loss and gain

Amid this trend, 9mobile, a key player in the sector, continued to struggle with customer retention, with over 7,127 customers leaving for rival networks, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The data revealed that  9mobile accounted for a substantial 90 per cent  of all outgoing porting activity of the total 7,886 outgoing porting activities recorded in the month, while other competitors like  MTN, Airtel, and Globacom collectively witnessed only 10 per cent  of subscribers leaving their networks.

This outflow has further reduced 9mobile’s active user base, leaving it with 3.6 million subscribers, a figure that places it way behind its industry peers, highlighting the company’s ongoing challenges in retaining customer loyalty amid competitive pressures and recent internal leadership transitions.

The company’s ownership was recently transferred to LH Telecommunications Limited, and this restructuring within 9mobile’s leadership and board comes at a time when subscriber retention is crucial. Despite efforts to stabilise, 9mobile’s subscriber base has continued to dwindle over the years.

The September report highlighted MTN as the primary beneficiary of this migration trend.

MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecom operator, received a strong boost, attracting 4,987 subscribers from other networks, which accounted for 63 per cent  of all incoming porting activity. Airtel followed closely, gaining 2,205 new subscribers from other networks, while Globacom attracted 664 new customers, 9mobile saw minimal incoming interest, with only 30 new customers porting in.

The NCC data also reflected broader subscriber trends within the telecom industry. MTN continued to lead with a robust 78 million active users, despite the lingering effects of the NIN-SIM linkage policy, which impacted the sector earlier. Airtel followed with 53.7 million active subscriptions, maintaining its position as the second-largest operator. Globacom, however, recorded a notable drop, with its subscription base shrinking to 19 million.