Why we left 9Mobile network

Why I didn’t use MTN

9Mobile (formerly Etisalat), is a telephone service provider whose beginning in Nigeria I watched with interest.

They started well, and I loved their services and customer support system.

I’m also a user of Glo and Airtel. I didn’t want to use MTN because they first refused per-second billing in Nigeria and sold their SIM cards at extremely exorbitant prices.

Imagine using N40,000 or N36,000 to buy a SIM card then. N36,000 then was more valuable than N500,000 nowadays.

When Glo began their operations, they started with per-second billing and gave their SIM cards almost free (If you bought a SIM for N5,000, you got N5,000 credit).

That was when MTN also started per-second billing and crashed the cost of their SIM cards since there has been a formidable competitor.

I now laugh at myself… I didn’t want to use a South African telephony service but I go to ShopRite, and also subscribe to GoTV and DsTV…. Didn’t they originate in South Africa?

9Mobile woes

Let me go back to 9mobile.

Etisalat left Nigeria because of serious management and financial issues, and the company was taken over by their creditors and the name was changed to 9Mobile.

Since then, they have been shrinking. Network services go off and on. Masts get switched off and/or vandalized, and casual and contract workers not getting paid for months. Serious managerial and financial issues.

In the past, if I went outside Lagos, to Osun, Ogun, or Oyo, I saw there was a large area not covered by 9Mobile. But anytime I came back to Lagos, I was able to use my 9Mobile SIMs.

Now, 9Mobile services have even disappeared in some areas of Lagos, where there used to be network

If they couldn’t expand the area they covered, at least, they could maintain the currently covered area… Instead, they are even losing the little area they covered.

Or what is the essence of buying data you can’t use? Calls cannot be made. SMS can’t even be sent. Relationships and businesses are being affected.

Many former 9mobile subscribers have stopped using their services, including some of their staff.

What’s happening to 9mobile now is reminiscent of what happened to Starcomms many years ago: the area covered began to disappear, the network was failing, and they collapsed.

The only way for 9Mobile to survive now is to put up themselves for sale, to foreign or local buyers. Otherwise, they’re going the way of Starcomms.

The handwriting is already on the wall.



My porting experience
Even porting to MTN should be a smooth experience but there was an issue because I couldn’t even send “PORT” to 3232. That was how bad the Etisalat network was.

Another reason why I was afraid to use MTN was because of the reports from people that their offices were often overcrowded and the staff in those offices were not helpful.  

I have found out myself that the reports were simply untrue…. I have visited 2 or 3 MTN offices and I have seen that those complaints are myths. You can go to their offices and see for yourself.

MTN currently has the best telephony technology in Nigeria.

Lessons to be learned
If you can’t beat them, you join them.

I swore never to have anything with MTN, save Glo, Airtel, and 9Mobile. But because of circumstances, I was forced to go to MTN and I must confess I now have peace of mind.

Tulaasi la fi n feran Sango.

Meaning: It’s by force that you must fear the god of thunder.

When 9Mobile was frustrating me and making life difficult for me, I had to run to MTN (I don’t want to rely on Glo and Airtel alone), and I’m enjoying the MTN experience.

You say you can’t eat your enemy’s foods, and your friend has refused to give you food… Do you want to die of hunger?

You may consider someone your adversary and the person may not even consider themselves your adversary.

If you’ve been destined to partner/cooperate with a group or an individual, you may end up hurting yourself if you refuse to partner with them, owing to unfounded hatred.

Leave a toxic affair/association/relationship.

If your affair/association/relationship with someone, a group, a company, an organization, or anybody is bringing you constant headaches, heartaches, frustrations, problems, disagreements, high BP, losses, anxiety, sorrow, regrets, etc., QUIT. Otherwise, you would end up being a losing fool.

Quitting a toxic relationship is the first step in improving your life.

You can get free signals here: https://t.me/predictmag