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Joy Agwunobi
When 9mobile unveiled its new identity as T2 in August 2025, the rebrand was positioned as more than a cosmetic overhaul. It was meant to usher in a new chapter from years of subscriber losses, operational strain, and declining relevance in Nigeria’s intensely competitive telecommunications market.
Anchored on an ambitious, AI-powered and people-focused strategy, the company promised faster, smarter and more personalised digital experiences that would restore consumer confidence and reposition the operator as a digital lifestyle brand for a new era.
Months later, however, recent industry data and growing customer complaints suggest that the transformation narrative has yet to translate into tangible improvements in everyday service delivery. From persistent call drops and failed airtime transactions to delays in receiving one-time passwords (OTPs), many subscribers say their experience on the network remains fraught, raising questions about whether structural reforms and infrastructure partnerships are delivering the intended impact.
This gap between branding ambition and customer reality is most clearly reflected in Nigeria’s mobile number portability statistics.
Portability data
According to the latest Mobile Number Portability (MNP) data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), about 3,581 subscribers ported out of T2 between August and November 2025, despite the network’s high-profile rebrand from 9mobile. Over the same four-month period, only 75 subscribers ported into the network, leaving T2 with a net customer loss of 3,506 lines.
A breakdown of the figures shows that 1,111 subscribers exited the network in August, the very month the rebrand was launched. This was followed by 724 ports-out in September, 890 in October, and 856 in November 2025. In contrast, the operator struggled to attract new users through portability, a trend that suggests the rebrand has not yet slowed the pace of customer attrition.
When compared with rival networks, the scale of the challenge becomes even clearer. During the same period, Airtel recorded 1,377 ports-out, Globacom had 694, while MTN lost 828 subscribers through portability. This means T2 alone accounted for more than half of all recorded exits among the four major mobile network operators during the period under review.
Industry observers note that while portability numbers do not capture the full picture of subscriber churn, they remain one of the most reliable indicators of customer dissatisfaction, as users who go through the process are actively voting with their feet.
Customers recount daily service frustrations
For many long-time subscribers, the decision to abandon the network was not taken lightly but followed months, and in some cases years, of mounting frustration.
Nath Adeyemo, who had been on the network for several years, said service instability ultimately pushed him to port out. He explained that while the rebranding phase initially raised hopes of improvement, those expectations quickly faded.
“It has been so frustrating using the network. It has cost me a lot, honestly, and that is why I had no other choice than to abandon it. When they rebranded, I was able to retrieve my line and everything was fine at first. But later, around December, I started noticing that the network was unstable again,” he said.
According to him, basic services such as airtime recharge and data purchase became unreliable. “Sometimes I recharge and get debited without receiving the airtime. The same thing happens with data. There are times the airtime or data doesn’t even show on the mobile app, even though other networks are available on the app.”
Adeyemo also highlighted distribution and support gaps, particularly outside major urban centres. “Even buying paper airtime is not possible in my area. I don’t see any customer service centre around here. When you try calling customer service, the calls keep dropping every time. This network has really stressed me. I’m not ready for that stress this year, so I had to abandon the SIM.”
His experience echoes a broader pattern of complaints shared publicly by subscribers across social media platforms, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where customers frequently tag the operator over unresolved issues.
OTP failures and digital service gaps dominate complaints
A review of T2’s social media interactions reveals recurring complaints around OTP delivery failures, a problem that can lock users out of banking, fintech and e-commerce services in an increasingly digital economy.
One user, @_harziiz, wrote: “I have been experiencing issues receiving OTPs from my banks for transactions. I have contacted customer service for all my banks, and they have informed me that the problem lies with my Network Service Provider. It’s frustrating that there isn’t a reliable customer service number available for assistance.”
Another subscriber, @TaiwoPromise, complained of multiple service failures occurring simultaneously: “I can’t transfer airtime, I can’t buy data. This is really frustrating. Not to talk about receiving OTP.”
Similarly, @AbidogunAishat stated: “I haven’t been receiving OTP on my number and it’s very annoying. Please, I can’t even send messages too.”
While social media complaints do not always represent the full subscriber base, telecom analysts say persistent patterns of similar issues often point to deeper network or systems challenges, particularly around signalling, billing integration, and customer support responsiveness.
Big promises behind the T2 transformation
The concerns stand in contrast to the vision outlined by the company during its rebrand. T2 described the shift from 9mobile as the “Transformation” phase of its four-stage recovery roadmap: Stabilisation, Modernisation, Transformation and Growth. The plan was introduced following the 2023 acquisition of 9mobile by LH Telecoms, a deal that marked a turning point for the once-struggling operator.
Since the takeover, the company has undertaken sweeping internal changes, including a leadership overhaul, board reconstitution, and renewed engagement with regulators and industry partners. The rebrand was framed as the outward expression of these internal reforms, signalling readiness to compete more aggressively in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital economy.
At the centre of T2’s transformation strategy is a strong focus on artificial intelligence, deep personalisation, and human-centred services. The management has positioned the network not merely as a provider of calls and data, but as a platform for digital lifestyles, creativity, and seamless cross-sector communication.
Speaking during the unveiling of T2 last year,Obafemi Banigbe, its chief executive officer, said,“We want to leverage AI, data, and analytics to personalise every single experience. In today’s market, the winners are not necessarily the biggest, they are the boldest.”
“We have positioned ourselves to be that bold brand. In this new era, customer experience will no longer be a department; it will be the business itself,” Banigbe added.
Infrastructure partnerships raise expectations
Perhaps the most significant pillar of T2’s recovery strategy has been its infrastructure-sharing arrangements, most notably the three-year national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria, signed in July 2025.
The deal, described as the first of its scale in the Nigerian telecoms market, allows T2 subscribers to roam on MTN’s nationwide network, theoretically improving coverage, capacity, and quality of service in areas where T2’s own infrastructure had been weak or non-existent.
In September 2025, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc also secured NCC approval to lease frequency spectrum from T2 Mobile Limited, further deepening the partnership. The spectrum lease, which took effect on October 1, 2025, covers 5 MHz FDD in the 900 MHz band and 15 MHz FDD in the 1800 MHz band, and will run for an initial three-year period.
According to MTN, the arrangement is central to managing increased network traffic from T2’s customer base, while also supporting broader goals around digital inclusion and efficient spectrum utilisation.
In parallel, T2 has embarked on network modernisation efforts with technology vendors, including Huawei, aimed at upgrading its core infrastructure and improving service reliability.
Why service gaps may persist
Despite these interventions, analysts caution that infrastructure sharing and spectrum leasing are not instant fixes. While roaming agreements can improve coverage, they may not immediately resolve challenges related to service quality, billing systems, latency, customer experience, or legacy operational bottlenecks.
Others point to the importance of last-mile execution, customer support, and transparency. In a market where consumers have multiple alternatives and portability is relatively easy, even short-term service disruptions can accelerate churn.
A transformation still under scrutiny
For T2, the data suggests that while the building blocks of a turnaround may be in place, customer confidence remains fragile. The continued loss of subscribers through portability indicates that many users are yet to be convinced that the rebrand represents a meaningful shift in service experience rather than a change in name and narrative.
As Nigeria’s telecoms market continues to evolve, with rising data consumption, fintech dependence, and digital service integration, operators face growing pressure to deliver not just coverage, but reliability and consistency.
Whether T2 can translate its AI-led vision, infrastructure partnerships, and organisational reforms into measurable improvements on subscribers’ phones will likely determine the success of its recovery plan. For now, the portability numbers and customer voices suggest that the road from rebranding to real renewal remains a work in progress.
