Nigeria’s active internet subscriptions fell slightly in June to 140.6 million, down from 141.5 million in May, representing a decline of 0.3 per cent, according to the latest industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The four major mobile network operators — MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and T2 (9mobile),retained their dominance, collectively accounting for 140.6 million connections. Internet service providers (ISPs) and other operators accounted for 528,633 subscriptions at the end of June.
Despite the drop in active subscriptions, data consumption continued its upward trajectory. Nigerians consumed 1.044 million terabytes of data in June, slightly higher than the 1.043 million terabytes recorded in May which was the highest monthly usage since the NCC began publishing such data in January 2023.
Telecom executives attributed the sustained growth in data consumption to surging demand in urban areas, particularly Lagos, where rapid urban expansion is driving bandwidth use at unprecedented levels.
“Cities like Lagos are growing at lightning speed — more people, more businesses, more devices,” said one industry executive.
Total mobile subscriptions, covering voice and data lines, also declined in June to 171.5 million from 172.4 million recorded in May. MTN lost 1 million subscribers, ending the month with 89.2 million active lines.
9mobile lost 236,238 subscribers, reducing its base to 2.4 million. Airtel gained 36,316 new customers, raising its total to 58.9 million, while Globacom recorded the largest net gain, adding 263,028 subscribers to reach 20.8 million.
Market share figures showed MTN holding 52.03 per cent, Airtel 34.38 per cent, Globacom 12.18 per cent, and 9mobile 1.42 per cent. With the overall decline in connected lines, Nigeria’s teledensity — the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants — fell to 79.22 per cent from 79.65 per cent in May.
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