Business
Etisalat officially becomes 9mobile, as name change announced
9mobile formally announced its name change from Etisalat Nigeria on Tuesday, in a move that marked a culmination of weeks of internal reorganization and an approval process by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This is coming after Etisalat Nigeria’s forced name change following the withdrawal of its international partners and investors with rights to the brand, as talks to resolve differences with a consortium of Nigerian banks broke down over a $1.2 billion loan.
UAE’s Etisalat had terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian partner in June and issued it a three-week ultimatum to phase out the brand after it had to surrender its 45 per cent stake to a trustee because of the debt crisis.
Read also: Amid debt crisis, Etisalat becomes 9Mobile Telecom
In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Boye Olusanya, the company formally announced its name change thus, “Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS), which previously traded as ‘Etisalat Nigeria’ wishes to inform its over 20 million subscribers, government, regulatory agencies and all relevant stakeholder groups that the telecommunication company has changed its name to 9mobile as a further testament of our unwavering commitment to ensuring business continuity as Nigeria’s fourth largest telecom operator”.
It further stated that its new trading name, 9mobile, represented its “0809ja heritage,” “9ja-centricity”, and its “evolution over 9 years of operations in Nigeria.”
Mr. Olusanya added that the company would remain true to its long-established values despite the name change.
The CEO urged its subscribers to be patient as the company continued its brand transformation, reaffirming the company’s commitment to carrying customers along in the process.
He said that 9mobile will announce plans to fully migrate to the new brand over the next few months.
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