Etisalat Nigeria is now 9Mobile

Aftermath of the woes and uncertainty of Etisalat Nigeria’s $1.2 billion loan owned a consortium of 13 banks; the troubled telecoms firm has changed its name to 9Mobile.

The new brand name, 9Mobile, was adopted by a sitting of the executives of the telecoms firms Thursday in Lagos after due deliberation.

The brand name took effect after Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (EMTS) trading as Etisalat Nigeria was given an ultimatum by its Abu Dhabi based mother firm to change brand name in three weeks after the $1.2 billion loan restructuring plan failed.

It left the Nigerian Chairman, Hakeem Bello Osagie resigning and a new management board taking over.

Following customer’s apprehension, the Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs of Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko had said subsisting agreement means the firm can continue to retain the brand name.

“EMTS is here to stay and we wish to assure our esteemed customers that our core values of youthfulness, customer-centricity and innovation will remain the pillars on which we operate,” he said.

Dikko further said in the statement that “EMTS launched in Nigeria in 2008 with ‘0809ja’ to affirm the ‘Nigerian-ness’ of our origin and sphere of influence. In our nine years of operation, we have remained a prime driver and avid supporter of the Nigerian spirit of excellence, and we will continue to stay true to our ‘Naijacentric identity”.

The telecoms firm has most probably retained the ‘9janess’ of the firm by invariably deciding on ‘9’ in 9Mobile – of course, it’s a mobile network.

In retaining its Nigerian-ness, the telecoms firm had assured its more than 20 million subscribers that a change of brand name will not in any way affect service delivery.

“What is most important now is to… ensure that the business runs and meets its obligations,” the company’snew chief executive Boye Olusanya said on Tuesday.

The telecoms company is, however, yet to make an official statement on the development.