Jul, 9 2025
9mobile Customers in Limbo: Months Without Service
Imagine relying on your phone for work, family, or emergencies, only to find it stuck on “No service” for weeks on end. That’s the reality for thousands of 9mobile customers across Nigeria right now. The service issues, which first started in late 2024, have spiraled into a full-blown crisis by early 2025. Users report being completely cut off—they can’t make or receive calls, send texts, or use data. For many, even basic communication has become impossible, leaving them stranded and frustrated.
These service failures aren’t just technical glitches. They’ve hit both city dwellers and people in rural communities. Some Nigerian business owners have watched their income shrink as customers and suppliers can’t reach them. Parents worry about not being available for their children in emergencies. People can’t access bank alerts or mobile apps. For many, their SIM cards show nothing but endless 'emergency calls only' warnings. Offices in places like Kubwa and Abuja’s Central Area, usually buzzing with customers and staff, have fallen silent—no phones ringing, no network, no business.
Blocked From Switching: Users Call Out NCC and 9mobile
As if being stranded wasn’t enough, subscribers trying to escape the blackout hit another wall. Reports from affected users say 9mobile is blocking Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests, making it impossible for people to keep their numbers while switching to rival networks. Normally, porting gives customers the right to flee bad service without losing their identity. But 9mobile customers like Ifiok Samson accuse the company of deliberately locking them in. 'NCC needs to sanction 9mobile and let us port. The service has been awful since last year—and now, it’s just gone,' he said.
This isn’t a few angry tweets. People are swarming 9mobile’s offices, hoping for answers, but finding doors closed and staff powerless to help. Small business owners claim lost contracts and missed deadlines. Students complain about missing lectures and exam results. From Lagos to Abuja, stories keep piling up—each more desperate than the last.
So far, regulators at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) face mounting pressure. By law, providers must allow porting and deliver reliable service, but so far, subscribers say red tape and corporate silence are all they’ve received. Calls for official sanctions and immediate intervention grow louder every day as customers demand not just compensation but the basic right to communication. For now, those still holding 9mobile SIM cards watch their phones, waiting for a signal—or an answer that might finally come.
Eric DE FONDAUMIERE
July 9, 2025 AT 20:00Man, the 9mobile blackout is like a digital apocalypse for anyone relying on their phone for work or family. I cant even imagine trying to close a deal when the signal is just a permanent “No service”. The whole thing feels like a nightmare that won’t end. It’s crazy how a major carrier can just tank like this, and we’re all left hanging. Hope the regulators step up quick!
Pauline Herrin
July 10, 2025 AT 18:03The ongoing service failure not only violates contractual obligations but also undermines consumer confidence in telecommunications infrastructure. It is incumbent upon the Nigerian Communications Commission to enforce compliance and expedite remedial measures. The obstruction of Mobile Number Portability further compounds the breach of regulatory statutes. Stakeholders deserve transparent communication and timely restitution. Absent decisive action, systemic distrust will proliferate.
pradeep kumar
July 11, 2025 AT 16:07Blocking porting is a blatant abuse of monopoly power. Users are forced to stay trapped with a dead network. This is unacceptable and must be corrected immediately.
love monster
July 12, 2025 AT 14:10The outage crisis is a textbook case of network resilience failure. When the core routing elements go dark, the downstream subscriber experience collapses instantly. In the telecom stack, the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) should have redundancy, yet the current incident suggests a single point of failure.
The service Level Agreements (SLAs) are rendered moot when the carrier cannot even deliver basic voice connectivity. From a KPI perspective, the Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) has ballooned beyond acceptable thresholds. Moreover, the clandestine blocking of Mobile Number Portability violates the PLMN’s obligation under the Number Portability Database (NPDB) protocol.
Customers are effectively denied the right to compete, which contravenes the open market principles enshrined in the NCC’s regulatory framework. The economic ripple effects extend to SMEs that rely on SMS alerts for inventory management. Educational institutions have reported missed exam notifications, eroding academic continuity.
In rural pockets, the lack of fallback satellite links exacerbates isolation. The precedent set by inaction could embolden other operators to sidestep consumer protection statutes. Stakeholder communication should shift from reactive apologies to proactive mitigation strategies. A forensic audit of the network’s fault management logs is imperative. Simultaneously, the NCC must enforce punitive sanctions to restore market discipline. Until these measures are operational, users will continue to endure unacceptable service deprivation. The community calls for transparency, accountability, and swift restoration of connectivity.
Christian Barthelt
July 13, 2025 AT 12:13It is worth noting that the term “collapse” is technically inaccurate; the network has not physically imploded but suffers from a cascade of protocol misconfigurations. One must distinguish between a denial‑of‑service attack and a systemic outage caused by inadequate redundancy planning. Therefore, attributing the issue solely to “9mobile” ignores the broader context of infrastructure investment deficits.
Ify Okocha
July 14, 2025 AT 10:17The deliberate obstruction of number portability is a manipulative tactic that reveals 9mobile’s contempt for consumer rights. Their opaque response mechanisms only serve to amplify public outrage and erode any residual goodwill. Such behavior is indefensible and warrants immediate regulatory intervention.
William Anderson
July 15, 2025 AT 08:20It feels as though the entire nation has been plunged into a digital shadow, each silent handset a mournful testament to corporate negligence. The echo of missed calls fades into an abyss of frustration, while businesses crumble under the weight of unreachable clients. This is not merely a service hiccup; it is a societal calamity that demands swift redress.
Sherri Gassaway
July 16, 2025 AT 06:23In the grand tapestry of connectivity, a severed thread unravels more than just data; it frays the very fabric of communal trust. When a provider chooses silence over solution, it invites a void where dialogue once thrived. The ethical imperative, therefore, is not merely to restore signal, but to rebuild the relational contract between network and citizen.
Milo Cado
July 17, 2025 AT 04:27While the current disruption is undeniably challenging, it also presents an opportunity for the NCC to demonstrate decisive leadership and for competitors to showcase reliability. A swift resolution will not only restore services but also reinforce confidence in the telecom ecosystem. Let us remain hopeful that constructive action will prevail soon 😊.
MONA RAMIDI
July 18, 2025 AT 02:30The sheer audacity of being locked in a dead network while being denied the freedom to port is infuriating beyond words. This corporate hostage situation must end now, or the backlash will be unstoppable. Consumers deserve better than this blatant disregard for their basic communication needs.
grace riehman
July 19, 2025 AT 00:33Hey fam, this whole 9mobile mess is hitting us all hard, especially the folks who cant afford a new sim right now. We gotta stick together and push for the regulators to step in quick. Let’s share our stories so the pressure builds and they listen.
Vinay Upadhyay
July 19, 2025 AT 22:37Oh great, another day of “No service” – because who doesn’t love living in the stone age while the rest of the world streams cat videos? Apparently, 9mobile decided that blocking port‑out requests is a brilliant business strategy. Sure, let the customers suffer; it’s not like competition matters, right?
Eve Alice Malik
July 20, 2025 AT 20:40I’m curious how many small businesses have actually reported revenue loss due to this outage. Also, what specific steps is the NCC taking to enforce the port‑out rules? Any info on a timeline would help us plan our next moves.
Debbie Billingsley
July 21, 2025 AT 18:43The integrity of Nigeria’s telecom sector is paramount; allowing a provider to cripple communication undermines national development. Immediate sanctions are essential to protect our citizens’ right to connectivity.
Patrick Van den Berghe
July 22, 2025 AT 16:47Totally unacceptable.
Josephine Gardiner
July 23, 2025 AT 14:50In accordance with statutory obligations, it is incumbent upon the regulatory authority to institute corrective measures forthwith, thereby ensuring the restoration of essential telecommunication services to the aggrieved populace.
Jordan Fields
July 24, 2025 AT 12:53Regulators must act now.