iDeemlawfulAbout 2,725 mobile users left T2 between August and October 2025, even after the operator rebranded from 9mobile, according to the latest Mobile Number Portability statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The data indicates that 1,111 subscribers ported out of T2 in August, 724 in September, and 890 in October 2025. Within the same three-month window, only 61 subscribers ported into the network, resulting in a net loss of 2,664 customers for T2.
The figures show that the rebrand has yet to reduce the rate at which subscribers are leaving the network. In October 2025 alone, 890 users exited T2, compared with 289 departures from Airtel, 193 from Globacom, and 225 from MTN. Out of the total 1,597 subscribers who ported out of all networks that month, T2 accounted for more than half.
This pattern has remained steady since the beginning of the year. Outgoing porting — which tracks subscribers who change networks while keeping their phone numbers — consistently placed T2 ahead of other operators throughout 2025.
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The trend was pronounced early in the year, with 6,716 subscribers leaving in January, followed by 3,817 in February, 1,992 in March, 5,042 in April, 3,863 in May, and 3,372 in June.
Although the pace slowed in the latter half of the year, the losses persisted, with 646 subscribers leaving in July, 1,111 in August, 724 in September, and 890 in October.
Incoming porting figures reflect the same situation from the reverse angle. While thousands exited the network over the year, very few joined. In October 2025, just 26 subscribers ported into T2, compared with 937 new entrants to MTN, 357 to Airtel, and 277 to Globacom.
In September and August, only 20 and 15 subscribers respectively switched to T2 from other networks. These low figures continued a trend observed since January, while MTN consistently recorded the highest number of incoming ports throughout the year.
In total, between January and October 2025, 28,173 subscribers ported out of T2, while only 87 joined the network, indicating ongoing customer dissatisfaction despite the introduction of a new brand identity.
Mobile Number Portability allows subscribers to change networks without altering their phone numbers, and the NCC’s monthly reports are widely regarded as a barometer of consumer sentiment in the telecom sector.
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In August 2025, The PUNCH reported that Nigerian telecom operator 9mobile rebranded to T2 as part of a strategic effort to revive its market standing, broaden its footprint, and compete more strongly in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
The rebrand marked the “Transformation” phase of the company’s four-stage recovery plan: Stabilisation, Modernisation, Transformation, and Growth, which followed the 2023 acquisition of 9mobile by Lighthouse Telecoms, led by businessman and investor Thomas Etuh.
Since the acquisition, the operator has restructured its leadership, reconstituted its board, and entered into a landmark three-year national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria in July.
The agreement, the first of its kind at that scale in the market, enables 9mobile subscribers to roam seamlessly on MTN’s nationwide network, enhancing coverage, capacity, and service quality in locations where 9mobile’s infrastructure had been limited.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, welcomed the rebrand but urged the company to back it up with tangible service improvements.
“Let this rebrand be more than a change of colours or new logo,” he said, calling for a “renewed commitment to innovation, to service excellence and to the millions of Nigerians whose lives and businesses depend on your network every single day.”
By September 2025, reports indicated that MTN Nigeria Communications Plc had received approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission to lease frequency spectrum from T2 Mobile Limited, formerly 9Mobile, as part of efforts to boost network capacity and promote digital inclusion.
In a disclosure to the Nigerian Exchange Limited and investors, the telecoms firm said the lease agreement, effective from October 1, 2025, covers 5 MHz frequency division duplex in the 900 MHz band and 15 MHz FDD in the 1800 MHz band, for an initial three-year term.
According to the company, the spectrum lease underpins its national roaming agreement with T2 Mobile, enabling MTN Nigeria to manage increased traffic from T2’s subscriber base using its infrastructure.
The move, it said, underscores its commitment to industry collaboration, infrastructure sharing, and the broader objective of expanding digital access nationwide. However, NCC figures show that T2 continued to lead the sector in outgoing porting activity throughout the year..