It was exclusively gathered that the new brand name is 9Mobile. At an executive meeting held in lagos 2 hours ago, the name 9Mobile was adopted and all the staff across the globe has officially supported and approved it.
The Chief Executive Officer, 9Mobile, Boye Olusanya, said in the statement:
“Our new trading name, 9Mobile, represents our 0809ja heritage, our 9ja-centricity and our evolution over nine years of operation in Nigeria. Although our trading name has changed, we remain true to the same values on which our company was built. A strong and resilient Nigerian spirit continues to reside in us, uniting us with you our subscribers and we are confident that you will continue to believe in our new brand, which strongly reflects our innate creativity and youthfulness”
Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat Group) entered Nigeria in 2008 through EMTS and held a 45-percent stake. The group, along with another core investor, Mubadala Development Company (UAE), terminated its management agreement with the business due to the ongoing crisis surrounding the $1.2 billion (N377.4 billion) loan taken from 13 local banks in 2013.
The telco outfit currently boasts of 20 million subcribers and ranks fourth on the list of mobile operators with a 14-percent market share. South Africa’s MTN, Globacom and Airtel (a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel) rank top three with 47-percent, 20-percent and 19-percent market shares respectively.