Lebara launch tests Nigeria’s MVNO framework: two operators live out of 46 licences

Image: forextime.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Lebara Nigeria holds a Tier 5 NCC licence and runs on Airtel's network with the 0724 prefix.

Jurisdiction NigeriaPractice Competition and Regulatory, Technology, Media and TelecomsSector Telecoms

Lebara Nigeria, the local subsidiary of London-based Lebara Group, has begun commercial operations as a mobile virtual network operator, TechCabal reported on 14 September 2026. It is the second MVNO to launch commercially under the Nigerian Communications Commission’s 2022 framework, after Vitel Wireless in October 2025, and Lebara Group’s first African market.

Licence and structure

Lebara holds a Tier 5 MVNO licence issued by the NCC in 2023 and uses Airtel Nigeria as its host network. It soft-launched on 25 February 2026 in an event co-hosted with the UK Department for Business and Trade, and is activating customers who reserved numbers on the 0724 prefix. It offers physical SIMs and eSIMs with remote KYC verification, and plans cloud storage, travel eSIMs, entertainment, device financing and financial services through partnerships.

The regulatory framework

The NCC’s MVNO framework created five licence tiers, from operators that resell a host’s services to those with their own core network elements. According to TechCabal, only two of the 46 MVNO licences issued have produced commercial launches. The gap reflects the difficulty of negotiating wholesale access with host operators, the cost of compliance, including SIM registration and NIN linkage, and competition with the incumbents.

Legal points for operators

Host agreements determine wholesale pricing, service levels, number ranges and customer migration on termination, and are the main commercial risk. MVNOs must comply with NCC consumer protection, quality of service and lawful interception rules and with the Nigeria Data Protection Act. Remote KYC must meet NCC SIM registration requirements. Financial services offered through partnerships require licensed partners under CBN rules, and device financing may fall within the FCCPC’s digital lending regulations.

Lebara’s chief operating officer, Mary Akin-Adesokan, said: “We are not entering the market believing that the answer is simply to compete on price.” Whether other licensees launch will indicate whether the framework delivers competition.