T2mobile Emerges as Nigeria’s Best-Performing Rural Network in Q4 2025
T2mobile, formerly known as 9mobile, has recorded the strongest network performance in Nigeria’s rural areas in Q4 2025, delivering an average download speed of 24.9 Mbps, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Ookla.
The result marks a significant turnaround for the operator, positioning T2mobile ahead of larger rivals in rural connectivity, a segment increasingly critical to Nigeria’s digital inclusion goals.
Rural Download Speed Rankings
The report shows a clear performance gap in rural areas:
- T2mobile: 24.9 Mbps
- MTN Nigeria: 15.8 Mbps
- Airtel Nigeria: 10.6 Mbps
- Globacom: 9.5 Mbps
T2mobile’s rural download speed significantly exceeded the national rural average and outperformed all major competitors, underscoring its growing strength in localised network performance.
What’s Driving T2mobile’s Network Turnaround
T2mobile’s improved performance reflects a deliberate strategy to reclaim market relevance following its rebranding from 9mobile. The operator has prioritised network quality, partnerships, and infrastructure upgrades as it works to win back subscribers.
Key initiatives include:
Huawei Network Upgrade Partnership
T2mobile signed a multi-million-dollar infrastructure upgrade deal with Huawei, leveraging the vendor’s technology to improve network resilience and service quality across its footprint.
Strategic Spectrum Lease with MTN Nigeria
In a landmark collaboration, T2mobile entered a three-year spectrum lease agreement with MTN Nigeria, effective October 1, 2025. The deal allows T2mobile to lease:
- 5 MHz in the 900 MHz band
- 15 MHz in the 1800 MHz band
The agreement enables national roaming, allowing T2mobile subscribers to use MTN’s infrastructure in areas with weaker coverage, significantly improving service consistency nationwide.
Localised Performance Gains Across States
Q4 Quality of Experience (QoE) data shows T2mobile achieved standout peak download speeds in select markets:
- Anambra State: 82.3 Mbps
- Oyo State: 80.0 Mbps
Beyond rural performance, the rebranded operator also recorded 18.5 Mbps average download speed in broader network tests—outperforming Globacom (9.6 Mbps) and Airtel Nigeria (15.9 Mbps).
On overall user experience metrics, MTN ranked first, followed closely by T2mobile, highlighting the positive impact of the spectrum lease arrangement.
For browsing speed specifically:
- MTN Nigeria: 65.9
- T2mobile: 50.0
Subscriber Growth Signals Early Recovery
Despite holding a modest 1.8% market share, T2mobile’s recovery is beginning to reflect in subscriber numbers.
- Total subscribers: 3.18 million
- Net additions (July–November 2025): 460,644 subscribers
The growth follows the operator’s re-entry into the market after its rebrand and network repositioning in July 2025.
Rural Connectivity in Nigeria Is Improving
The NCC and Ookla data show steady improvement in rural connectivity nationwide:
- Average rural download speed (Q4 2025): 11.0 Mbps
- Q4 2024 rural average: 8.5 Mbps
- Urban average download speed: 20.5 Mbps
The report attributes improved rural performance partly to towns located along major transport routes connecting urban centres, where high-capacity infrastructure spills over into surrounding rural areas.
Cities such as Ibadan, Benin City, Enugu, and Jos are extending near-urban connectivity into adjacent rural communities, suggesting a gradual narrowing of the digital divide.
Upload Speed Gap Still Persists
Despite progress, a significant 40% performance gap remains between urban and rural networks.
- Rural upload speed: 6.1 Mbps
This limitation affects digital activities such as video calls, cloud uploads, and content creation, highlighting the need for further targeted investment.
The disparity reflects long-standing challenges, including lower network density, higher deployment costs, and infrastructure constraints in rural areas.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Telecoms Market
T2mobile’s strong rural performance positions the operator as a serious contender in Nigeria’s next phase of telecoms competition, where coverage quality, not just scale, is becoming a differentiator.
As smartphone adoption and financial inclusion deepen in rural Nigeria, operators that invest in targeted infrastructure upgrades and strategic partnerships are likely to gain ground.
While urban networks remain more balanced, rural areas are clearly catching up. With sustained investment, Nigeria’s long-standing digital divide may finally begin to narrow.
