By CHIDIEBERE NWANKWO
Emerging Market Telecommunications Service (EMTS) on Friday announced the rebranding of its 9mobile brand. By this 9mobile is now T2 and the new brand colour, orange.
Speaking at the rebranding event tagged ‘Tech Meets Tenacity’, the telecommunications company’s Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Obafemi Banigbe noted that this move is to rekindling the spirit of innovation. He further stated that the rebranding is the beginning of a new chapter for the company’s business. “This is not just a brand unveiling, it is the beginning of a whole new chapter in our history. It is a declaration that we are no longer who we were, but we are becoming something greater, we are becoming something more ambitious, we are becoming more in tune with our future.”
In a passionate speech, while acknowledging that the company had gone through difficult phases in recent past, and had lost customers due to those challenges, which have now been successfully addressed, Banigbe stated: “We are unveiling not just a new logo or a new tagline, but a brand new spirit. We are unveiling a new mission, we are talking about a new promise, a renewed promise. We are talking about a transformation that positions us as a youthful brand, as a digital force brand, as a customer obsessed brand, as an innovative brand, innovation driven brand that is fit for the times and that is ready for the future.”
Banigbe further noted that former 9mobile realized the need to evolve in order to meet the needs of Nigerians and stay bold, agile, imaginative and therefore relevant. These needs, he hinted will be the focus of the new T2 brand. “We see it in the rising tide of the youth, we see it in the entrepreneurs that are all over the place across our nation, in the boldness of our startup ecosystem, in the resilience of our SMEs, in the desires of our families to stay connected, to stay informed, and to stay entertained anytime and anywhere. All across Nigeria, all across Africa, we see the hunger for speed, access and relevance, and the creativity that has never been stronger.”
He promised that the new T2 will enable the creative and the innovation economy, the power that powers those that are reshaping the culture, reshaping community, and those that are reshaping commerce.
“We also know that this is not just about an image makeover, it is about the substance we are working to create. We are not playing catch-up, we are playing to win. We are redesigning our business to become leaner, to become faster, to become smarter.
And of course, we want to do it so that they can have control at the palms of their fingertips. We want to leverage on AI, we want to leverage on data and analytics to personalize every single experience. Because we know that in this world and the market where we compete, the winners are not the biggest, the winners are the boldest”, Banigbe posited.
He further pledged: “We will simplify our processes, we will streamline and anticipate the needs of our customer, because the customer is the reason why we exist. We will design with effort, because for us, it means that we need to listen more from you, to you all. We need to learn from you, we need to make sure that we localize, because experience is not just what we do, it is how we make the people feel.”
In his speech, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani placed a charge on the management team of T2: “Let this rebrand be more than a change of colours and new logo, let it be a renewed commitment. Our government will continue to work with the ecosystem players like T2 who are bold enough to invest, agile enough to adapt, visionary enough to see that the future belong to those who embrace change before it is forced upon them. Together we can build a digital Nigeria that is not just connected, but one that is competitive, not just growing, but also inclusive, not just all that, but also extremely transformative”
The Minister concluded by congratulating the Board and staff of T2 on the bold step and looked forward to the impact of the renewed energy and direction on the months and years ahead.
Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (EMTS) Limited, operating as 9mobile, in July 2024, triggered a new phase of operation and leadership to stem the company’s dwindling business, by approving significant equity investment by Light House (LH) Telecommunication Limited, as the company paid $750 million.
With the approval of key regulatory bodies—the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)— and endorsement of the African Export-Import Bank, the transaction granted LH Telecommunication 95.5% ownership of 9mobile, heralding fresh capital infusion and strategic direction.
The restructuring brought in Thomas Etuh as the Chairman of the Board, and Obafemi Banigbe as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
Banigbe had revealed that the company will go through phases of rejuvenation, culminating in the final phase of awareness campaign that will reposition it in the minds of Nigerians.
