T2 Mobile (formerly 9Mobile) Posts Subscriber Growth and Leads Rural Connectivity in Nigeria’s Digital Landscape
Lagos & Abuja, Nigeria — 9Mobile, Nigeria’s fourth-largest mobile operator, is making notable strides toward recovery and relevance in the country’s competitive telecommunications sector after its strategic rebranding to T2 Mobile in August 2025 and efforts to expand service quality and digital inclusion nationwide.
Rebranding to T2 Signals Renewed Strategic Direction
After years of operational challenges and a significant decline in user base, 9Mobile underwent a comprehensive rebrand to T2 Mobile, marking what leadership described as a bold new chapter in the company’s evolution. The rebrand reflects a shift toward digital-first services, customer experience, and agile network strategy following its acquisition by Lighthouse Telecoms.
At the official launch held in Lagos, T2 leadership emphasised that the new identity represents more than a name change — it is a commitment to innovation, modern connectivity and deeper engagement with Nigeria’s mobile-first economy.
Three-Month Subscriber Growth: A First Sign of Recovery
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) latest industry report, T2 Mobile added internet users for the third consecutive month in late 2025 — a notable achievement after years of subscriber losses. In December, T2 recorded 9,202 new internet users, bringing its total to 780,237, and marking consistent rebound momentum.
This trend suggests that T2’s repositioning — including its national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria which allows subscribers to access broader 2G–4G coverage — is gaining traction and helping address previous service reliability gaps.
Rural Connectivity Leadership and Network Performance
In addition to subscriber growth, T2 Mobile has been recognised for exceptional rural network performance. A recent NCC-published report highlighted that T2 led Nigeria in rural median download speeds, recording peaks as high as 82.3 Mbps in states like Anambra and Oyo, and maintaining strong average speeds relative to urban areas.
This achievement supports broader national digital inclusion objectives, expanding connectivity in underserved regions — a crucial enabler for e-commerce, education access, agriculture platforms, and digital financial services.
Strategic Industry Collaboration
T2’s pathway to stabilization has been supported by spectrum sharing and infrastructure collaboration with larger operators. In late 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission approved a spectrum lease agreement allowing MTN Nigeria to lease frequency bands from T2 Mobile, boosting network capacity and enabling enhanced roaming services — a win-win arrangement for both operators and the Nigerian digital ecosystem.
This kind of partnership reflects evolving industry dynamics in Nigeria’s telecom sector, where cooperation and shared infrastructure help smaller operators maintain relevance while expanding quality and reach for customers.
Why This Matters for Nigeria
Economic Inclusion: T2’s rebound and growth support digital access for citizens and small businesses across urban and rural Nigeria.
Network Quality: Leadership in rural speed highlights expanding internet quality beyond major cities, enabling more equitable digital opportunities.
Collaborative Innovation: Spectrum and roaming partnerships underscore a more collaborative telecom landscape that prioritizes service coverage and investment efficiency.
T2 Mobile’s emerging momentum signals that 9Mobile’s evolution is not just about brand — it’s about renewed purpose, network reliability and inclusion in Nigeria’s ongoing digital transformation.
