MTN Nigeria Plc has received regulatory approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to lease spectrum assets from T2 Mobile Limited, formerly known as 9Mobile, in a move expected to significantly bolster its network capacity and support Nigeria’s broader digital inclusion drive.
In a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Wednesday, the telecoms giant said the lease will take effect on 1 October 2025, and run for three years. Under the agreement, MTN will lease 5MHz of frequency division duplex (FDD) spectrum in the 900MHz band and 15MHz FDD in the 1800MHz band.
The transaction builds on MTN’s recently signed national roaming agreement with T2, which allows T2 customers to access MTN’s extensive infrastructure across the country. The spectrum lease is expected to smooth network integration, enabling MTN to handle additional traffic from T2’s subscriber base while also enhancing service quality for its own customers.
“This integrated approach, combining spectrum trade and national roaming, underscores our commitment to industry collaboration, infrastructure sharing, and the broader goal of advancing digital inclusion across Nigeria,” MTN said in its statement.
Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, described the development as a “milestone” aligned with the company’s Ambition 2025 strategy, a long-term plan aimed at driving growth through data-led services, fintech, and digital infrastructure.
“We are delighted with this milestone, which aligns with our Ambition 2025 strategy. It reaffirms our unwavering commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality connectivity to our customers,” Toriola said. “By leveraging additional spectrum resources, we are enhancing network capacity in a cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable way.”
The move is part of a broader industry trend of increased collaboration and infrastructure sharing, as operators look for cost-effective ways to manage surging data demand. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has over 220 million active mobile subscriptions, with data usage growing rapidly due to video streaming, e-commerce, and mobile banking. The access to spectrum is a critical determinant of service quality, especially as operators prepare for wider 5G rollout.
MTN has already taken steps to diversify its partnerships in the sector. Beyond the T2 deal, the company has signed agreements with Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), enabling smaller firms to provide services using its infrastructure. These collaborations are expected to broaden consumer choice, deepen competition, and accelerate innovation in the Nigerian telecoms market.
At the same time, MTN announced that it will not renew its existing lease agreement with Natcom Development and Investment Ltd (Ntel). The Ntel lease, covering 5MHz FDD in the 900MHz band and 10MHz FDD in the 1800MHz band across 17 states, is set to expire on 29 November 2025. The termination may be tied to MTN’s pivot toward longer-term, more integrated partnerships like the one with T2.
The Nigerian telecommunications sector has seen heightened regulatory and market activity in recent years, as the NCC seeks to encourage spectrum efficiency and industry consolidation. With spectrum a scarce and expensive resource, operators are increasingly resorting to leases and sharing agreements rather than outright purchases.
For MTN, the approval reinforces its position as the market leader, with over 80 million subscribers and a dominant share in data traffic. It also reflects the company’s strategy of embedding sustainability into its growth model, ensuring that expanded connectivity does not come at the expense of rising operational costs or environmental impact.
Ultimately, the deal signals a pragmatic shift in Nigeria’s telecom landscape: collaboration over competition, sharing over duplication, and long-term digital inclusion over short-term market dominance. If successful, MTN’s partnership with T2 Mobile could serve as a template for other operators navigating the challenges of spectrum scarcity, rising consumer demand, and the pressure to innovate in Africa’s largest telecoms market.
