Lukmon Akintola,
Lagos
T2 is a breath of fresh air for people with an interest in the recently rebranded 9mobile.
Unveiled on Friday, August 8, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos State, the dream of T2 and its management is to become a digital-first telecom operator focused on innovation and customer experience.
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Emerging from the remains of an almost moribund 9mobile that saw it’s subscribers falling from 23 million to less than 3 million as its network deteriorated, with the injection of fresh funds, industry stakeholders and telecommunications experts expect a massive transformation with the new brand, while subscribers have expressed hope that T2 is not just a mirage, an old ideology in a new fancy suit.
Their fear hinges on knowing that the T2 brand was first announced in Nigeria as Etisalat before being similarly rebranded as 9mobile in a bid to project a new brand image.
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Speaking at the launch event, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of T2, Obafemi Banigbe, announced a new dawn for the brand when he said that the rebranding is a strategic overhaul rather than just a new name.
“We are no longer who we were; we are becoming something greater, more ambitious, and more in tune with the future,” he said.
Since its transition, the management of T2 has announced a multi-million-dollar strategic partnership with Huawei to modernize its core network infrastructure, as it tries to position itself as being competitive in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
According to Nairametrics, a statement by T2 revealed that the agreement will see Huawei overhaul its core systems to improve capacity, resilience, and security.
The project, the company said, forms part of its four-phase strategic roadmap: Stabilisation, Modernisation, Transformation, and Growth, all aimed at restoring the company’s competitiveness and positioning it for long-term growth.
During the signing ceremony in Lagos, Banigbe described the deal with Huawei as more than a technical upgrade, calling it “a catalyst” for the company’s revival.
“Huawei has been a trusted partner throughout our journey, and this next chapter reaffirms our shared commitment to innovation, reliability, and excellence. With Huawei by our side, we’re not just upgrading our network, we’re future-proofing it,” he said.
Despite Banigbe’s sweet words about what T2 is set to become, subscribers who endured a lack of quality network with 9mobile remain skeptical.
Needless to say that their skepticism is based on past experiences. On Saturday, May 24, before the unveiling of T2, a China-owned fintech company, Opay, magnified the precarious situation of 9mobile when it announced a service challenge due to its inability to access the telecommunication company’s network.
In a scrolling yellow-coloured message on the top of its platform, the Yahui Zhou-owned fintech mobile money operating company notified its subscriber trying to access its services via 9mobile that the unavailability of the network may make their transactions unsuccessful.
Users of the payment platform woke up to the message that alerted them to the poor service of 9mobile, even as Opay warned its customers of the service downtime of the telecommunications company.
Interestingly, that was not the first time 9mobile would be in the news for poor service delivery. It is common knowledge that people resident in Lagos Mainland might have access to the network of the organisation, while those in Lagos Island would complain of network outages, at times for days.
Folorunsho Julius Adeola revealed his frustration with 9mobile on Facebook. He wrote: “My line is out of coverage, only on emergency throughout, and I lodged a complaint with the customer service; up till now, no response.”
Ebele Maureen Okoye also narrated how she has not been able to port from 9mobile to another network.
“I want to port my 9mobile to MTN, but they said that I must have network on my phone before it will work. For the past 4 months now there has been no network on my 9mobile. What do I do?”
On his part, Adeyemi Adewale wrote, “Very bad network to load card is another issue.”
A subscriber narrated to The Octopus News how he journeyed from Lagos State to Ogun State to attend a convocation ceremony at Babcock University, only to be left stranded as a result of the fact that the 9mobile line of his host was not available.
“Months ago, I was invited to the convocation of Babcock University by a friend. I got there only to realise that the 9mobile line of my host was not available. Worse was the fact that even his wife and children, who are also on the 9mobile network, could not be reached. I was forced to leave the event as I couldn’t locate my host, said Akintunde Ijoba (not real name).
While 9mobile sought to inject new funds to up its services for a long while, an investigation by The Octopus News revealed that investors shied away from the company as a result of its low viability tendencies.
9mobile’s challenges date back to 2007, when the company faced financial challenges as a result of a $1.2 billion loan default. The development led to a holistic restructuring that saw the company rebranded as 9mobile.
Now rebranded, subscribers, investors and stakeholders are hoping that T2 will be able to survive the challenges left by 9mobile and stay afloat.
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