Telecom
$1.2bn Debt: 20m 9mobile Subscribers May Be Cut Off
Some 20 million Nigerians who are subscribers of 9mobile (formerly Etisalat) may be cut off in 2022 as a result of the complications arising from the $1.2 billion loan default by the telco to a consortium of banks.
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Also, over 4,000 staff of the company risk being laid off.
Senate investigation said that all these can only be averted if a new buyer emerges, takes over the company and pays off the debt before the 15 years’ operational licence given to the company expires in 2022.
This was revealed on Thursday during the investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions, which is currently investigating the loan default threatening the existence of the 9mobile.
Speaking during the hearing, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), represented by Yetunde Akinoye, director of Legal Services, said that in 2007 9mobile was given a 15-year licence to operate in Nigeria, which according to her, will expire in 2022.
She said given the financial crisis facing 9mobile, the hope is that a new investor would emerge to take over the company, pay back the consortium of backs the loans which the original owners of the telecom company collected, and also pay for the renewal of the licence to retain the services and subscribers.
She said that if this is not possible, the banks, in alliance with their security trustees, may push to enforce the loan conditions, which she explained might involve stripping the telecoms company to recover their investment.
Recalling what happened, Akinoye said that NCC, which she said was not privy to the loan agreements, got a letter on the June 21, 2017 from the Security Trustee of 9mobile, notifying the regulatory agency that there is a loan default and that the lenders (banks) want to enforce the legal implication.
She said the banks, which had already taken over the telecoms company, wanted the board of 9mobile to be dissolved and a neutral person brought in, preferably the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN).
To this end, she said the CBN Governor, who did not want the apex bank to become involved, however dissolved the old board and constituted a new board chaired by the CBN Deputy Governor, to ensure that the 20 million subscribers and 4,000 staff of 9mobile are not left high and dry.
On why NCC cannot allow the banks to take full ownership of the company, Akinoye said: “The transfer of licence is not allowed by NCC except under certain conditions but they can transfer the shares. The banks are only interested in getting their money but not to run the company.”
She also said that NCC, unlike CBN in the case of banks, does not have powers by the Act establishing it, to take over telecoms companies that are collapsing. Akinoye noted that given the way Mubadala and the associate paid $250 million to get the Etisalat licence, NCC never suspected that anything would go wrong, adding that NCC is already doing a forensic investigation of 9mobile.
On her part, Oluseyi Osusador, director of Corporate Affairs of 9mobile, who represented the telecoms company, told the Senate that $82 million and $100 million loans were collected for expansion of their services nationwide. She disclosed that they also collected $1.2 billion loan from a consortium of 13 banks for network expansion across the country in 2015.
She added that in the 2016, they paid their obligations as required until the negotiations broke down due to their inability to meet up, adding that efforts to secure a new agreement failed until the investors left, hence they are now looking for a new investor throughout Barclays Bank.
Responding to the accusation by senators that it did not follow the due diligence to monitor the loan and prevent the original investor from cashing out rapidly, Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna, CBN Director, Financial System Stability, who represented the apex bank at the hearing, said that CBN started intervening in the deal between 9mobile and the 13 banks before the loan started having issues of default.
He explained that contrary to comments, CBN did not take over Etisalat but the consortium of banks did based on their rights and legal conditions of the loan which allow them to take over the company at default.
Speaking on behalf of the affected banks, Guarantee Trust Bank, represented by Haruna Musa, a Director in the bank, said the banks are the facility agent, pointing out that their role is administrative in nature.
Haruna said that until 2015, the facility was performing optimally, adding that in some years, Etisalat paid more than expected, but paid 17% of what was expected in 2017, resulting in the commencement of the default.
In its submission, United Capital Trustees Limited, which served as the Security Trustee agent to the loan deal, represented by Tadeni Balogun, said it has other plans on how to deal with the situation but refused to give details.
While lamenting the default, Chairman of the Senate Committee, Rafiu Ibrahim, regretted that the loan became problematic three years into the commencement of the payment.
He asked the Security Trustee Company to explain how the founding Managing Director of Etisalat left the company, adding that the Senate needed to know if he was forced to leave or left voluntarily.
Senator Ibrahim expressed concern that shortly after the investors wrote to NCC, they left immediately and easily.
He said these information is necessary because the Senate may have to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take over the investigation because the committee cannot understand why the investors hurriedly left and NCC and CBN are not doing anything to get the money back, perhaps by engaging the Nigerian President to engage the President of the host country of Etisalat to pay the debt.
To this end, he vowed that the Senate will not relent to save the banks and the industry, and the subscribers.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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