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Etisalat: Bello-Osagie Plots Comeback, ‘9Mobile’ A Transitory Name

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Mr. Hakeem Bello Osagie
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The battle for the soul of Etisalat Nigeria (now rebranded 9Mobile) has reached a crescendo as Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations showed that Mr. Hakeem Bello-Osagie, former chairman, has launched out in search of investment partners to buy the mega shares in the company.

In May 2013, Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited (EMTS), trading under the name of Etisalat Nigeria, signed a $1.2billion medium-term syndicated loan facility agreement with Zenith Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and 10 other banks.

But, Mr. Osagie who resigned his position on the heat of threats from the banks to take over the Company for failure to pay back the loan, plans to regain his position should he get new investors.

A week ago, Hatem Dowidar, the chief executive of Etisalat International, said Etisalat Group would, in the next three weeks, phase out the brand name in Nigeria.

The decision followed Emirates Telecommunications Group (Etisalat Group) withdrawal of further involvement in the ownership of the Nigerian subsidiary.

Until June 15, the United Arab Emirates, UAE, group was a major shareholder in Etisalat Nigeria, along with United Arab Emirates Sovereign Wealth Fund through Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi.

The two affiliates controlled a combined 85 per cent equity in the telecom firm, with Myacinth holding 15 per cent stake through Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services, EMTS Holding BV, owned by former United Bank for Africa, UBA, Mr Bello-Osagie.

Opting to part ways with the company followed the crisis in the wake of the $1.2billion syndicated loan the telecom firm took in 2013 from a consortium of 13 Nigerian banks, an impeccable source revealed to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Mr. Bello-Osagie has vowed to block moves by an influential ‘money bag’ without technical credentials to take over the company.

According to the Source, “Mr. Bello-Osagie, former chairman’s confidence of pulling a surprise comeback is based on the fact that the 13 banks are supposed to take over the mega shares in Etisalat, but they are not interested. They (the banks) are actually shopping for investors to buy over the shares. Presently, the shares are domicile with UBA Capital.

“So, Mr. Osagie is not giving up on the matter. First, his ‘group’ still maintains 15% stake in Etisalat. Remember, they are the owners of the operating licence too. Secondly, he is not comfortable with an influential business mogul who is making moves to take over Etisalat. The potential investor lacks the technical milieu to manage the Company.

“The man roadblock to him (the money bag) is that he possesses an expired operating license. The Communications Acts 2003 makes it impossible for him to buy over the shares. But he views the present circumstances as a golden opportunity to launch fully into the telecommunications business, especially with the potentials 9Mobile has. He might want to buy the Company through other business ventures. So, EMTS is on red alert”. 

The Source also told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that ‘9Mobile’ is merely a transitory name put forward by EMTS to beat the deadline as Etisalat International, has made intentions know to phase out the brand name in Nigeria by month end.

“Remember, at the launch of EMTS in Nigeria in 2008, “0809ja” was adopted, to affirm the “Nigerianness” of its origin. And it worked. The plan now is such that if EMTS succeeds in buying over the banks’ shares then the name 9Mobile, which is a transitory name, shall be dropped almost immediately. Should they fail to get investors of preference to buy the shares, it means EMTS will remain with 15% stake, but the new investors will come out with a new name. As it stands now, it stands 50-50 for Mr. Osagie to come back to his position”, the source said on Sunday night.

Recall, after the interventions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in the loan feud between Etisalat Nigeria and a consortium of 13 banks, Mr. Osagie, resigned his appointment as part of restructuring plan for the telecommunications firm.

The new board is headed by Dr. Joseph Nnanna, chairman; Mr. Boye Olusanya who replaced Matther Wilshire as CEO; Mr. Oluseyi Bickersteth, non- executive director; Mr. Ken Igbokwe, non-executive director and Mrs. Funke Ighodaro, Chief Finance Officer.

 


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Telcos Resume SIM Card Sales after 2-Week Halt

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Telecommunications operators have resumed full SIM swap and related services following a four-week nationwide outage linked to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)’s migration to a new verification platform.

Telcos Resume SIM Card Sales after 2-Week Halt

The outage rendered millions of subscribers unable to perform SIM-related tasks such as swaps, replacements, and activations.

Operators in the industry say the disruption began on June 26, 2025 when telcos temporarily halted SIM registrations and swaps due to unforeseen technical challenges during the transition to NIMC’s upgraded identity verification system.

The migration was mandated to enhance the integrity and efficiency of national identity management but caused major service interruptions across all Nigerian networks.

However, July 21, both MTN and Airtel confirmed via their social media handles that SIM swap services have now fully resumed.

MTN announced: “SIM swaps have now resumed. We can confirm that NIMC services are fully operational and appreciate their support in the migration to a new platform for NIN verification services for the telecommunications industry.

In a public update issued via its MTN Nigeria Support handle on X (formerly Twitter), MTN confirmed that SIM swaps have now resumed.

Telecom operators complained that the portal was unreliable or inaccessible, which resulted in the suspension of SIM swaps, number porting, and new SIM registrations, even though NIMC maintained that the platform was operating as intended.

Unexpected technical difficulties arose during the switch to the new platform, according to the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria.

Real-time NIN verification for SIM registration, replacement, and network migration was impacted by these issues.

“Unexpected technical difficulties have surfaced, impacting real-time NIN verification for SIM registration, replacement, and porting, following a recent directive from the National Identity Management Commission mandating Mobile Network Operators to transit to a new identity verification platform,” ALTON stated in a previous joint statement signed by Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, and Damian Udeh, publicity secretary.

 


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Nigeria, Others Achieve 84% Adult Mobile Phones Penetration

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The World Bank has affirmed that 84 per cent of adults in low-and middle-income economies, including Nigeria, own personal mobile phones.

The bank in its Global Findex 2025 report said mobile phone ownership was widespread and nearly everywhere. It said data from the Global Findex 2025 Digital Connectivity Tracker, revealed that “86 per cent of adults worldwide, and 84 per cent of adults in low- and middle-income economies, own personal mobile phones.”

The report pointed out that mobile phones and the internet had become widespread and essential to daily life in every economy around the world.

A earlier overview had indicated that Nigeria had a high mobile phone penetration rate, with estimates around 85 per cent to 87 per cent in 2024.

This translates to over 200 million mobile connections, making Nigeria a leading market in Africa for mobile phone ownership and usage. While the overall penetration is high, there’s a growing trend towards smartphone adoption, with forecasts predicting over 140 million smartphone users by 2025.

According to DataReporter, a total of 150 million cellular mobile connections were active in Nigeria in early 2025, with this figure equivalent to 64.0 per cent of the total population.

However, note that some of these connections may only include services such as voice and SMS, and some may not include access to the internet.

There were 107 million individuals using the internet in Nigeria at the start of 2025, when online penetration stood at 45.4 percent. Nigeria was home to 38.7 million social media user identities in January 2025, equating to 16.4 percent of the total population.

These headline stats offer a great overview of the “state of digital” in Nigeria at the start of 2025, but in order to make sense of how digital trends and behaviours have been evolving over time, we need to dig deeper into the data.

According to the World Bank, “as of 2024, individual ownership of mobile phones reached 86 per cent of adults worldwide.

“For many people, barely an hour goes by without their using a mobile device to make a call, ext a friend, read the news, access business information, post a meme on social media, pay for something, play a game, engage with a colleague or a customer, or search for information.

“As access to and use of digitally connected technologies increase, people, businesses, and governments place an increasingly high priority on online interactions. “Digitally connected technologies have clear, well-documented benefits.”

It further highlighted that access to mobile phones and the internet was associated with reduced poverty, increased consumption, and more employment for individuals in lowand middle-income economies.

“Women also experience these benefits, as internet access enables access to flexible jobs3 and has been shown to increase female labor force participation. “Mobile phones also facilitate information sharing.

For instance, in agricultural contexts, farmers’ access to real-time prices and buyer demand data can inform their decisions on where to sell, enhancing market efficiency and reducing the distances they would otherwise travel to get the best return for their product and time.

“Internet access also helps create jobs and aids individuals and countries in exporting goods and services,” it added. The World Bank further noted that owning a mobile phone furthermore enabled financial access through mobile money and other mobile financial services.

It added that these financial accounts and services, typically offered by mobile network operators or fintech firms and accessed via networks of local agents, were associated with lower rates of poverty, increased consumption and savings,and greater resilience to economic shocks.


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Sophos Secures Leadership Spot in 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection

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Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced that it has been named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP), marking the 16th consecutive time the company has received this recognition.

Sophos has been recognized in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) since the inaugural publication for this category in 2007.

Sophos’ market-leading endpoint security solutions include Sophos Endpoint powered by Intercept X, Sophos Extended Detection and Response (EDR/XDR), and Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR).

Over 300,000 organizations trust Sophos endpoint security solutions to defend against cyberthreats, including advanced remote ransomware attacks and active adversaries.

Unique to Sophos, the solution includes adaptive defenses that automatically disrupt attackers by dynamically adjusting protection levels based on threat context.

“Sophos’ strength lies in its prevention-first strategy, designed to stop breaches before they start, adapt defenses in real time, and strengthen detection and response when it matters most,” said Kyle Falkenhagen, SVP, Product Management, Sophos. “We believe that receiving this recognition in the highly competitive endpoint security market for 16 consecutive reports reflects our relentless focus on developing innovative solutions that stay ahead of the global threat landscape and the adversaries we face every day.”

Sophos and Secureworks: The future of protection, detection, and response

Following Sophos’ acquisition of Secureworks in February 2025, combining two leading and complementary portfolios to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions for small, midmarket and enterprise organizations.

Secureworks Taegis XDR customers can use Sophos Endpoint to elevate their cyber defenses, at no additional charge, delivering both improved protection and return on investment.

The integration of Secureworks also adds a new Counter Threat Unit (CTU) to the Sophos X-Ops advanced threat response joint task force, further expanding the rich threat intelligence that informs all customers’ defenses.

Backed by Sophos’ advanced security technologies and a broad network of intelligence contacts and partners, the CTU plays a critical role in identifying and tracking threat actors and analyzing anomalous activity, uncovering new attack techniques, threats, and major shifts in the threat landscape.


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