Nigeria’s mobile subscription base has begun to recover, growing to 157.3 million in October 2024 from 154.6 million in September, marking the first significant increase after months of decline.
This resurgence was largely driven by MTN and Airtel, the two largest telecom operators in the country, which recorded substantial subscriber growth during the period.
The increase follows the NIN-SIM linkage exercise and an extensive audit by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which earlier resulted in the disconnection of 64.3 million lines between March and September 2024.
This regulatory action was aimed at eliminating inactive and improperly registered lines from the system.
The growth in actively connected lines has also led to a rise in teledensity—a measure of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants—to 72.7% in October, up from 71.46% in September. The NCC calculated this metric using Nigeria’s estimated population of 216 million.
MTN Nigeria
MTN, the market leader by subscriber count, added 2.2 million new subscriptions in October, increasing its total active subscriber base from 78 million in September to 80.3 million. This growth further solidifies MTN’s dominance, giving it 51.09% of the mobile market share.
Airtel Nigeria
Airtel, the second-largest operator, also posted impressive gains, adding 697,430 new subscriptions. This brought its active subscriber base to 54.4 million, up from 53.7 million the previous month. Airtel now holds 31.61% of the market share, maintaining its position as MTN’s closest competitor.
While MTN and Airtel showed strong growth, other operators struggled:
- Globacom, the third-largest operator, lost 44,635 subscriptions, reducing its total active subscriber base to 19.1 million, representing 12.15% of the market share.
- 9mobile, which has faced years of subscriber decline, saw a further loss of 245,263 subscriptions, bringing its active base to 3.3 million, accounting for just 2.15% of the market.
The NCC’s database audit uncovered that one operator had misclassified 40 million inactive lines as active, violating industry standards. These lines, which generated no revenue for over 90 days, distorted market data. The audit and the NIN-SIM linkage exercise have since brought much-needed transparency to the sector.
MTN and Airtel’s strong performance signals a rebound in Nigeria’s telecom industry. The growth in subscriptions highlights the resilience of these market leaders and their ability to adapt to regulatory challenges. As the NCC continues to enforce data integrity and foster competition, the sector is poised for further recovery and expansion.