There has been growing concern among telecom users as 9mobile subscribers face increasing difficulty in switching to other network providers, a situation that has prompted accusations of the telecom operator deliberately blocking porting requests. The development has raised alarms within the industry, leading to calls for an investigation by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
According to industry sources, for the past month, an alarming number of 9mobile users have been unable to successfully port their numbers to other networks. Customers have been attempting to switch to popular telecom giants like MTN and Airtel due to persistent network issues, but have found that their porting requests were mysteriously blocked. Sources familiar with the matter allege that 9mobile is intentionally preventing the migration of its customers at the backend, leaving many frustrated and stranded on a network that no longer meets their needs.
The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), which represents telecom users in Nigeria, has expressed deep concern over this issue. NATCOMS President, Deolu Ogunbanjo, urged the NCC to investigate whether 9mobile is intentionally obstructing its subscribers’ ability to switch operators. He emphasized that Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which was introduced by the NCC in 2013, is a vital regulatory tool designed to protect consumers’ right to choose their network provider while retaining their phone numbers.
“If porting is no longer possible, as reports suggest, it is a serious issue. We will escalate this to the NCC because Mobile Number Portability is a regulatory initiative designed to protect consumers. NCC should be made aware of this, and I am confident they will look into it,” Ogunbanjo said.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) allows customers to change telecom operators without losing their existing mobile phone numbers. The process requires customers to initiate the porting request at the service centre of their desired new operator, which in turn sends the request to the subscriber’s current provider. Once the current provider approves the transfer, the subscriber’s number is successfully ported to the new network.
Reports of customers experiencing network issues with 9mobile have been circulating for several months. Many subscribers have complained of persistent network outages, which make it difficult to make or receive calls, use mobile data, or even send text messages. This issue has led many customers to seek alternatives from competing networks, especially MTN and Airtel, which have generally been more reliable.
A visit to customer service centres of major telecom operators such as MTN and Airtel confirmed the complaints. A representative at one of these centres explained that a growing number of 9mobile users had been coming in to initiate porting requests due to poor service on the network. However, despite following the proper procedures to port their numbers, many were unable to complete the process. The issue, according to the representative, lies in the failure of 9mobile to process the porting requests at the backend.
“The problem is from 9mobile. They are having issues with their network. When customers come and fill out the porting form, we send a text code to them, and they are supposed to respond. But it doesn’t go through at all,” a customer service representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated.
This statement indicates a technical failure in processing porting requests, but industry insiders believe that there may be an intentional effort to frustrate customers from leaving the network.
The accusations of blocking porting requests come at a time when 9mobile’s subscriber base has been in steady decline. For the past three months, the telecom operator has maintained a stagnant subscriber count of 3.2 million—far below the 23.4 million subscribers it boasted in 2015 when it held a 15.7 percent share of the Nigerian telecom market.
This sharp drop in subscribers can be linked to the increasing dissatisfaction among users due to chronic network issues, poor customer service, and an overall decline in the quality of services offered by the network. The operator has faced several technical problems in recent months, including multiple nationwide outages. One of the most severe outages occurred in July 2024 when 9mobile experienced a six-day nationwide disruption due to multiple fibre cuts and infrastructure damage.
In December 2024, another major disruption occurred when a fire broke out at 9mobile’s main data centre in Lagos, coupled with fibre cuts and vandalism of crucial infrastructure in Lagos and Abuja. These incidents left subscribers without reliable connectivity for days, further tarnishing the operator’s reputation and driving many customers to seek services from competitors.
Recent data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) indicates a significant rise in mobile number portability activity in the first month of 2025. According to the NCC, the number of subscribers switching networks surged by 190 percent in January 2025, with 8,708 customers porting their numbers to different networks, compared to 2,998 in December 2024. The rise in porting activity comes as a result of customer frustration with the service quality of their current networks.
Despite the increased porting activity, 9mobile recorded the highest losses among all telecom operators, with 6,716 of its subscribers leaving the network for competitors. The company only gained seven new subscribers in January 2025, highlighting the difficulties the operator is facing in retaining customers. In contrast, networks like MTN and Airtel have reported fewer losses, suggesting that they are successfully attracting 9mobile’s dissatisfied customers.
When approached for comments on the matter, both 9mobile and the NCC remained silent for over 24 hours. The telecom operator’s Lead Public Relations Officer, Chineze Amanfo, and the NCC’s Director of Publicity, Reuben Mouka, failed to respond to multiple requests for clarification on the issue.
However, a senior industry source familiar with the situation suggested that 9mobile might be intentionally frustrating porting requests. The source claimed that no subscriber had successfully ported from 9mobile to MTN in the past month, while porting requests from Airtel and Glo to MTN had been processed without issues.
As the situation continues to unfold, stakeholders are urging the NCC to step in and investigate whether 9mobile is obstructing customers’ right to switch networks. The telecom regulator’s intervention is critical to ensure that consumers can freely choose their preferred network provider, as Mobile Number Portability was specifically introduced to protect consumer rights in Nigeria’s competitive telecom market.
The resolution of this issue is particularly important given the growing dissatisfaction with 9mobile’s services and the increasing number of subscribers seeking to switch to better-performing networks. If 9mobile is found to be deliberately blocking porting requests, the consequences could be severe, both for the operator and for its standing within the Nigerian telecom industry.
For now, subscribers continue to face challenges in leaving 9mobile, and many are left wondering how long this issue will persist before action is taken.
