By Milcah Tanimu
Nigeria’s mobile subscription base reached 157.3 million in October 2024, showing a positive recovery from 154.6 million in September. The growth, led by MTN and Airtel, signals a bounce back after months of decline due to an extensive audit and the NIN-SIM linkage exercise.
Nigeria’s Teledensity and Market Share Growth
With the increase in subscriptions, Nigeria’s teledensity rose to 72.7% from 71.46% in September 2024, based on a population estimate of 216 million.
MTN and Airtel Performance
MTN, the largest operator in Nigeria, gained 2.2 million new subscribers, reaching a total of 80.3 million, and now holds 51.09% of the market share. Airtel also saw growth, adding 697,430 new subscribers, bringing its total to 54.4 million, holding a 31.61% market share.
Challenges for Globacom and 9mobile
Globacom, which lost 19 million subscriptions due to the NIN-SIM linkage, saw a slight decline of 44,635 subscriptions, bringing its active subscriber base to 19.1 million. 9mobile, struggling with a customer base decline, lost 245,263 subscriptions, reducing its active subscribers to 3.3 million.
Impact of NCC Audit and NIN-SIM Linkage
The growth in subscriptions follows the NCC’s audit and NIN-SIM linkage, which removed inactive lines from the database. This correction aimed to provide more accurate data and improve industry transparency. The removal of approximately 40 million misclassified inactive subscriptions by one operator highlights the audit’s importance in shaping the market’s recovery.
