Phone Service Chaos: 9mobile Subscribers Hit a Breaking Point
Imagine waking up and seeing ‘No Service’ plastered across your phone screen for days—or even weeks. That’s not a nightmare, it’s daily life for many 9mobile customers in Nigeria lately. Since early 2025, users across the country have battled patchy connections, vanished signals, and a total freeze on jumping networks through mobile number portability (MNP). This isn’t just spotty coverage—it’s a communication lockdown for thousands.
The trouble really snowballed after a 15-day power blackout hit customers in Kebbi and Sokoto states from late April to mid-May. People there lost access to their calls, messages, and the internet. When electricity came back, users thought the worst was over. But in June, it got even messier: network-breaking fibre cuts crippled 9mobile services in nine states, including big hitters like Lagos, Rivers, and Anambra. Voice, SMS, and data all flickered in and out, often disappearing altogether without warning.
It wasn’t just about being cut off. Some frustrated users, desperate for a working line, tried to move their numbers to other providers—think MTN or Airtel—using the standard MNP option. Instead of an escape, they hit a brick wall. 9mobile’s porting systems were frequently ‘down,’ denying them the chance to switch even after three weeks of trying. Social media lit up as angry customers accused the company of trapping them in dead air.
What’s Really Blocking the Networks?
To calm the storm, 9mobile put out statements denying any deliberate shutdown or unfair blocks on porting. The company insists it sticks to all MNP rules and blames the delays on technical gremlins. But for those stuck in the digital blackout—unable to work, call family, or run their businesses—excuses aren’t enough.
Industry insiders point to deep-rooted issues that keep biting 9mobile’s network. Fibre cuts (often the result of roadworks, vandalism, or construction accidents) can cripple huge swathes of the network. Add unreliable electricity supplies—like the Kebbi/Sokoto blackout—and it’s a recipe for chaos. While outages are an old problem, the sheer scale and length of these recent failures are raising alarm bells, even within Nigeria’s telecoms watchdog, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
It’s no surprise that calls for the NCC to step in are getting louder. Groups of customers are demanding that the regulator hand down real consequences to 9mobile—not just warnings. Many are urging the NCC to force the restoration of porting services so users aren’t held hostage by technical failures. Telecom analysts warn that, unless these root problems are addressed, even the country’s most basic communication services could face collapse.
- 9mobile users lost phone and data services repeatedly in 2025’s biggest blackout so far
- Blocked porting left many trapped and unable to switch providers
- Technical failures, power cuts, and fibre line vandalism keep threatening the network
- Pressure is mounting on the NCC to take action and protect customers
The message from Nigeria’s mobile users is clear—when your phone line is a lifeline, losing signal isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a crisis. And until regulators tackle infrastructure failures and enforce transparent porting rules, outages like these risk becoming the new normal.
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