The telecom industry was at the time, what economists call the “growth phase.” Millions of people took up mobile phones, some for the first time. It is these circumstances that make the ongoing sale of 9mobile a fortuitous intervention in Nigeria’s telecom space. 9mobile, by the way, is the erstwhile Etisalat, the fourth of Nigeria’s telecom operators and by some estimates one of its more aggressive. At circa 17 million customers, 9mobile is a potentially vibrant competitor to any of the other major telecom operators. 9mobile is indeed, as they say, a “last chance” for Nigeria’s telecom industry and we can only reiterate how critical it is that it is acquired by the right buyer, a buyer who can attract offshore financing to Nigeria.

Source: Nigerian Tribune January 15, 2018 01:18 UTC