Imose Technologies is preparing to enter the voice and data market through Imose Mobile, its telecom operator division, positioning itself to become Nigeria’s next mobile virtual network operator. The move into consumer connectivity follows 12 years spent building technology infrastructure behind the country’s biggest networks.

The planned launch is the result of groundwork that began with a 10-year licence approval on April 1, 2023. By taking time to study market dynamics, the company aims to avoid a rushed entry and deliver a genuine solution with its SIM launch.

A crowded field with few launches

Between early 2023 and January 2024, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) licensed 46 mobile network virtual operators (MVNOs) — smaller players designed to act as mini mobile network operators (MNOs) and specifically channel connectivity across Nigeria’s rural communities. Almost three years after those licences began to be issued, only about three operators have actually launched, with Lebara the most recent to go live.

The problems holding virtual operators back have been linked to high entry fees, hostile wholesale conditions imposed by dominant host networks, and a lack of supporting infrastructure. There is broad agreement that many virtual operators were not prepared for the scale of investment demanded by Nigeria’s infrastructure-heavy telecom industry.

Against this backdrop, Imose is building an ecosystem that combines hardware, connectivity and digital self-registration to deliver a seamless “out-of-the-box” solution. The company holds an MVNO Tier 2 licence — also known as a Simple Facilities Virtual Operator (SFVO) — which allows a company to own and operate limited network and customer management infrastructure without owning a spectrum licence. For a Tier 2 operator, that means nationwide coverage stays with the host network, while the MVNO’s own work centres on distribution, customer management and service design. Imose Mobile is expected to launch before the end of 2026.

A familiar name inside Nigeria’s telecoms

Imosé Technologies is an indigenous hardware brand known for the assembly and production of desktop phones, routers, WiFi devices, feature phones and tablets. The company is already a familiar presence in the sector, powering the SIM registration handhelds used by telco agents and the branded routers sold by major networks — a footprint that means millions of Nigerians already interact with Imose technology daily.

In a conversation with Technext, Michael Nene, Head of Marketing at Imose Technologies, said the transition into a full service provider is not a sudden pivot but a natural evolution built on a decade of enterprise infrastructure supply. Detailing Imose’s long-standing relationship with major telcos such as MTN, Glo and Airtel, he noted: “If you buy a Glo router today, you will see on the back of the router that this router was actually manufactured by Imose. So we’ve been playing in the telco space for a very long time, but we’ve just been servicing the telcos that you know.”

Nene said the company deliberately took its time before launching because there is a need to get things right before market entry, noting that rushing into the market can result in irreversible mistakes that could lead to an inevitable exit. Since its 2023 licence approval, he explained, Imose has adopted a multi-year rollout approach coupled with rigorous network testing and pre-built partnerships with banks, fintechs and nationwide logistics networks.

The “Complete Solution”

The move into a full-fledged telecom business comes with what the company describes as a “Complete Solution” that blends hardware with SIM delivery. Through Imose Mobile, it plans to launch its own SIM cards in both physical and e-SIM form. Nene framed the initiative as a way of removing friction for consumers: “Why can’t we give a complete solution rather than produce a device and you now have to go look for a SIM card from a different telco to use our device? When you buy our router, you should be able to connect instantly. Before you even leave the store, you turn it on, activate it on our app, and you’re good to go.”

On what it will offer differently, the operator is introducing an app-based SIM self-registration process that eliminates agent queues, alongside consumer features such as home delivery, digital payments and bundled data deals. The pitch speaks to a familiar friction point for Nigerian mobile users: getting a new SIM registered and active has typically run through agent-based registration, a step the app-based process is built to remove. Because a virtual operator cannot own spectrum, Imose will ride on Airtel’s host network infrastructure.

A slow lane for Nigerian MVNOs

Nigerian virtual operators continue to face bottlenecks that show the NCC’s mass licence approval in 2023, intended to bring more operators into the market, has not produced the desired outcome. Vitel Wireless, the first virtual operator to launch in Nigeria, received a dedicated numbering series (0712) in January 2025 — two years after obtaining its operating licence — and made its market entry in August 2025 with a rollout of 50,000 SIM cards and eSIMs. Lebara’s launch followed a similar path, arriving only after months of delays tied to preparation and partnership coordination.

The broader lesson is that virtual operators, which depend on MNOs to survive, cannot compete head-to-head with such big players. In recognition of this market structure, Nene noted that building fresh telecom infrastructure is economically unviable in modern Nigeria. Imose Mobile is therefore not trying to displace MTN or Airtel; rather, it is designed to service the company’s existing customer base with subsidised and tailored call and data bundles. “The main reason we are coming in is not to compete with them. You can’t compete with them; at the end of the day, they are the market leaders,” he said.

Nene expressed the view that Imose Mobile is not just another SIM card on the street, but a pioneering indigenous model for integrated hardware and telecom services in West Africa. Between now and that expected pre-2026 launch window, the Vitel Wireless and Lebara debuts sketch the milestones readers can track: numbering allocation from the NCC, host-network coordination with Airtel, and the size of the first SIM rollout.