Nigeria’s mobile lines cross 200m as data drives telco growth

Latest figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that active mobile subscriptions increased to 200.3 million in October from 195.11million in July, 2026 adding about 5.22million lines in three months.

Experts say the bigger opportunity is increasingly coming from how much data customers consume and the networks required to support that demand.

The increase was supported by major operators, although the market remains heavily concentrated around MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria.

Based on the reported figures, MTN held 51.38% of the market, compared with 34.44% for Airtel, 12.34% for Globacom and 1.84% for T2. MTN and Airtel therefore accounted for more than 85% of the market.

NCC data showed that 4G and 5G connections accounted for 58.92% of the market in June 2026, up from 54.49% a year earlier.

At the same time, the combined share of 2G and 3G connections fell to 41.08%.

The shift means operators are facing growing pressure to invest in higher-capacity networks as Nigerians increasingly use smartphones for video, social media, cloud services, digital payments and other data-intensive applications.

Airtel’s performance illustrates the changing economics of Nigeria’s telecom market.

According to the company’s 2026 annual report, its Nigerian customer base reached 58.3 million by March 2026, while its data customers increased to 31.4 million.

During the financial year, Airtel added more than 1,050 sites and deployed 657 5G sites.

Data usage per customer increased by 30.8% to 11GB monthly, while data revenue rose by 63.6% in constant currency.

The company also reported a 43.4% increase in data usage in Nigeria during its 2026 financial year.

These figures point to a telecom market where the quality and intensity of customer engagement may become more important than simply adding new SIM connections.

MTN Nigeria is experiencing a similar shift.

The company’s first-half 2026 results showed data revenue of about N1.70 trillion, significantly higher than its N993.46 billion voice revenue.

The increase in data traffic is also putting greater pressure on network capacity, making continued spending on spectrum, fibre, transmission infrastructure and 4G and 5G networks increasingly important.

For telecom operators, this creates a delicate balance: more data usage can drive revenue growth, but supporting that consumption requires substantial investment in infrastructure, energy and network capacity.

Operators are simultaneously dealing with higher network expansion costs, spectrum requirements, power challenges, fibre cuts and pressure to maintain quality of service.

Consequently, the rise to 200,33million active lines reflects both the reconnection of previously disconnected customers and new demand for mobile services.

The transition towards higher-speed networks is likely to intensify the investment requirements of telecom operators.

With 4G and 5G accounting for 58.92% of connections, operators with stronger network capacity and wider high-speed coverage could have an advantage in attracting customers whose mobile consumption is moving increasingly toward data.

Operators also need more fibre and transmission capacity, reliable power infrastructure and sufficient spectrum to accommodate rising traffic.

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