Nigeria’s mobile subscription base rose to 157.3 million in October 2024, up from 154.6 million in September, marking a significant rebound after months of decline.
The recovery was primarily driven by the country’s two largest telecom operators, MTN and Airtel, which recorded strong subscriber growth during the period.
This uptick in subscriptions comes after the National Identity Number (NIN)-SIM linkage exercise and a thorough audit by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Between March and September 2024, the NCC disconnected 64.3 million lines as part of efforts to remove inactive and improperly registered numbers from the system.
The surge in active subscriptions also contributed to a rise in Nigeria’s teledensity, which reached 72.7% in October, up from 71.46% in September. The metric, which measures active telephone connections per 100 people, was calculated based on Nigeria’s estimated population of 216 million.
MTN, the country’s largest telecom operator, added 2.2 million new subscribers in October, increasing its active subscriber base to 80.3 million. This growth solidifies MTN’s dominant market share at 51.09%. Airtel, the second-largest operator, also saw a healthy increase, adding 697,430 new subscriptions, bringing its total to 54.4 million and capturing 31.61% of the market.
Meanwhile, other operators faced challenges. Globacom, the third-largest provider, lost 44,635 subscribers, reducing its base to 19.1 million, or 12.15% of the market share. 9mobile, which has experienced a long-term decline in subscribers, lost 245,263, dropping its total to 3.3 million and holding just 2.15% of the market.
The NCC audit uncovered that one operator had misclassified 40 million inactive lines as active, distorting market data. These lines, which had not generated revenue for over 90 days, were removed, improving sector transparency.
MTN and Airtel’s strong growth signals a positive outlook for Nigeria’s telecom sector. Their performance highlights the resilience of these market leaders, and as the NCC continues to enforce data integrity and encourage competition, the sector is poised for continued recovery and expansion.
