Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
On Tuesday, Etisalat Nigeria confirmed changing its brand name to a new one called 9Mobile after its parent firm, the Etisalat Group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), pulled out of the business in Nigeria.
In a statement issued yesterday, the firm described the name change as a testament to its dynamism, responsiveness and agility as a business, while leveraging on the power of technology to deliver innovative products and services that meet needs of its over 20 million subscribers.
In the statement, the CEO of 9Mobile, Mr Boye Olusanya, while explaining why the company settled for the new name, was quoted as saying, “Our new trading name, 9Mobile represents our 0809ja heritage, our 9ja-centricity, and our evolution over 9 years of operations in Nigeria.”
Etisalat launched commenced business in Nigerian at a time many observers thought the market was already saturated, but after rolling out its services, the network quickly won the admiration of many and gave a very tough fight to others, especially the market leader.
Since news of its name change went viral some days ago, some subscribers have feared that its quality of service might drop.
But Mr Olusanya allayed such fears, saying, “Although our trading name has changed, we remain true to the same values on which our company was built.”
He assured them that, “We will ensure that our core values of Innovation, customer-centricity, and superior quality of service remain the pillars upon which we operate.”
However, Mr Olusanya revealed that, “In order to ensure the change of name is delivered efficiently and responsibly, we will take a measured approach to the migration to the new brand over the next few months.”
“Therefore, as we go through this transition, our esteemed subscribers, we ask for your patience and reaffirm our commitment to remain a listening brand.
“We will continue to innovate, support, and empower you to do more – whether as an individual or a business,” he appealed.
But he expressed optimism that subscribers will “continue to believe in our new brand, which strongly reflects our innate creativity and youthfulness” based on the strong and resilient Nigerian spirit that resides in “us, uniting us with you our subscribers,” while reassuring them that, “We will remain committed to working together and exploring possibilities to achieve our mutual goals.”
Already, the company has effected the name change on its social media platforms as well as SMS notifications to its subscribers when account balance is checked.
