The infrastructure-sharing deal between MTN Nigeria and T2 (formerly 9mobile) is a landmark "co-opetition"

agreement aimed at saving the struggling T2 network while giving MTN more "highway space" for its data traffic.

As of January 2026, the deal has two main components that directly affect you as a user

1. The National Roaming Agreement

This is the part that helps you if you are a T2 (9mobile) user.

• What it does: T2 subscribers can now "roam" on MTN’s towers.If you are in a remote area where T2 has no signal, your phone will automatically switch to the MTN network.
• Cost: You are billed at your normal T2 home rates; there are no extra roaming charges for you as a customer.
• Benefit: It immediately gives T2 users access to the widest network coverage in Nigeria without T2 needing to build thousands of new towers

2. The Spectrum Lease Deal

This is the part that helps MTN manage its massive crowd of users.

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• The Exchange: In October 2025, the NCC approved a deal where MTN leases unused "airwaves" (spectrum) from T2 for a period of three years.
• Technical Details: MTN is using 5MHz in the 900MHz band and 15MHz in the 1800MHz band that previously belonged to 9mobile.
• Why it matters: Because MTN has over 80 million users, its network often gets "congested."By leasing T2’s underused spectrum, MTN gets more capacity to handle high-speed data and voice calls, leading to fewer dropped calls and faster internet for MTN users

The "Win-Win" Strategy

For T2 (9mobile)For MTN Nigeria Instant Coverage: No more "no service" bars in rural areas.More Capacity: Faster 4G/5G speeds using T2's airwaves.Cost Saving: They don't have to spend billions building new masts.New Revenue: They get paid by T2 for the roaming service.Survival: Keeps the brand alive while they restructure under new owners.Efficiency: Replaces their old, smaller deal with Ntel.Current Reality Check (Early 2026)

Despite these massive technical improvements, recent data from the NCC shows that T2 is still struggling with "subscriber churn." Between August and November 2025, over 3,500 people ported out of the network. While the signal bars are now full (thanks to MTN), many users are still complaining about "legacy" issues like delayed OTPs and airtime recharge glitches.