Nigeria’s Mobile Lines Cross 200m As MTN, Airtel Expand Subscriber Base

Latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that active mobile subscriptions rose to 200.34 million in September 2026, from 197.42 million recorded in August, representing an increase of about 2.92 million connections within one month.

The September milestone is the highest level recorded since the verification exercise triggered a sharp decline in active telephone lines, which had previously exceeded 200 million in April 2024.

MTN Nigeria maintained its dominance of the market, with approximately 104.6 million active subscriptions, representing 52.3 per cent of the market. Airtel followed with about 68 million connections and a 34 per cent market share, while Globacom accounted for approximately 23.8 million subscriptions, representing 11.89 per cent.

Meanwhile, T2, formerly 9mobile, remained the smallest operator, with approximately 3.6 million active connections, representing less than two per cent of the market.

Aside from the increase in mobile connections, Nigeria’s telecommunications market also recorded improvements in internet subscriptions. Active internet subscriptions across mobile, fixed and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) networks increased to approximately 160.9 million in September, compared with 158.5 million in August.

Mobile internet subscriptions accounted for the bulk of the growth, rising to about 160.4 million, while fixed wireless connections increased to 248,651 from 227,910 in the preceding month.

Similarly, broadband subscriptions rose to approximately 128 million, pushing broadband penetration to 59.05 per cent from 58.22 per cent in August.

The statistics also showed that fourth-generation (4G) technology remained the dominant mobile network generation, accounting for 54.37 per cent of connections, while 2G represented 36.42 per cent and 3G accounted for 4.16 per cent.

Notably, 5G adoption crossed the five per cent threshold for the first time, accounting for 5.05 per cent of active connections, compared with 4.92 per cent in August, reflecting the gradual expansion of next-generation mobile infrastructure.

Despite the growth in subscriptions, total internet data consumption declined slightly to 1.73 million terabytes in September from 1.76 million terabytes in August, indicating that an increase in connected lines does not automatically translate into higher data usage.

The development also highlights the economic importance of telecommunications infrastructure to Nigeria’s digital economy, particularly as mobile connectivity supports financial technology, electronic commerce, digital banking, education, entertainment and government services.

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