After years of decline, Nigeria’s fourth-largest telecom operator, 9mobile, has rebranded to T2 in a bold move to revive its fortunes and reconnect with subscribers.
The rebrand, unveiled on August 9, 2025, marks the company’s third identity change since launching as Etisalat Nigeria in 2008. Once a fast-growing network with over 23 million subscribers, it now serves just about 2.4 million users following years of financial troubles, debt crises, and customer losses.
Under the leadership of Lighthouse Telecoms and CEO Obafemi Banigbe, T2 says it is entering a “new phase” focused on innovation, service quality, and digital solutions. The new orange brand colour symbolises maturity, resilience, and readiness to compete against heavyweights MTN, Airtel, and Glo.
A key part of T2’s comeback strategy is a national roaming agreement with MTN, allowing its customers to stay connected while the company rebuilds its network. T2 also promises to deliver better data and voice services, with a strong emphasis on affordability and customer care.
Industry groups and subscribers are urging the company to go beyond branding and deliver tangible improvements in network coverage, pricing, and service reliability. Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, has also called on T2 to match its visual overhaul with real innovation that meets the needs of millions of Nigerians.
Whether this transformation can restore T2 to relevance in Nigeria’s fiercely competitive telecom market will depend on how quickly it turns promises into results.
