9mobile undertakes second rebrand, becomes T2 in bid to survive Nigeria’s telecom duopoly

Nigeria’s fourth-largest telecom operator, 9mobile, has rebranded for the second time in its 16-year history, unveiling a new identity as T2 following a strategic acquisition by LH Telecommunications Limited in a high-stakes push to revive its shrinking market share. The move comes as MTN and Airtel jointly control over 86% of Nigeria’s mobile subscribers, leaving 9mobile with less than 2% in a market of more than 200 million active lines.

The operator first rebranded in 2017, switching from Etisalat Nigeria to 9mobile after its UAE parent exited amid debt troubles. Now, eight years later, the company is attempting another image overhaul. This time, it is positioning itself as a youthful, digitally driven lifestyle brand.

In 2024, LH Telecommunications Limited acquired a 95.5% controlling stake in 9mobile, injecting critical capital and shaking up the management structure. The new governance team, led by Chairman Thomas Etuh and CEO Obafemi Banigbe, signalled a renewed push toward stability and growth.

At the Lagos unveiling, Banigbe stressed that the transformation goes beyond a new name and logo. “We are no longer who we were; we are becoming something greater, more ambitious, and more in tune with the future,” he said.

T2’s strategy will heavily leverage AI, cloud-native systems, and data analytics to deliver faster, more personalised services. The company said its new platform will be API-ready, enabling rapid product rollouts aimed at Nigeria’s increasingly digital-first youth demographic.

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With Airtel and MTN enjoying massive scale advantages—52% and 34% market share respectively, accounting for roughly 86% of the market —T2’s hope lies in speed of innovation, niche targeting, and customer experience rather than competing head-on for mass market dominance.

Banigbe acknowledged the company’s difficult years, marked by subscriber losses and network perception challenges. “We have endured, we have struggled, but like Nigeria, we always bounce back stronger and sharper,” he said, framing T2 as a resilient challenger rather than a fading brand.

Industry analysts note that while rebrands can refresh public perception, sustained network investment, competitive pricing, and digital product innovation will be critical for T2 to claw back market share in an increasingly saturated telecom sector.

If successful, T2’s pivot could offer a guide for how small operators can survive in markets dominated by a duopoly. But if execution falters, it risks becoming another case study in the limits of rebranding without deep operational change.