MTN, Airtel Drive Telecom Recovery As Mobile Subscriptions Hit 157.3m

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector rebounded strongly in October 2024, as mobile subscriptions rose to 157.3 million, driven largely by growth from MTN and Airtel.

This marks a turning point for the industry, which had faced a prolonged decline triggered by the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) audit and the National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage exercise.

The NIN-SIM linkage exercise and NCC audit earlier this year had wiped out 64.3 million lines from the country’s subscription database between March and September. However, the uptick in October signals the sector’s resilience and adaptability.

The surge in active lines also propelled the country’s teledensity — a metric for telephone connections per 100 inhabitants — to 72.7 per cent, up from 71.46 per cent in September. This calculation is based on an estimated population of 216 million, according to NCC.

MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecom operator, led the recovery with a remarkable addition of 2.2 million subscriptions in October. This brought its total active subscriptions to 80.3 million, consolidating its market dominance with a 51.09 per cent share.

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Airtel followed suit, gaining 697,430 new subscriptions to reach a total of 54.4 million. The company now holds 31.61 per cent of the market, trailing MTN but maintaining its position as the second-largest operator.

In contrast, Globacom and 9mobile struggled to retain subscribers. Globacom, which lost over 19 million lines earlier this year, saw a further decline of 44,635 subscriptions in October, leaving it with 19.1 million active users and a 12.15 per cent market share.

Similarly, 9mobile’s downward trajectory continued, shedding 245,263 lines to end the month with 3.3 million active subscriptions, representing just 2.15 per cent of the market.

The growth driven by MTN and Airtel highlights the resilience of Nigeria’s telecom sector despite regulatory challenges. Analysts suggest the recovery could gather pace in the coming months as operators adapt to new regulations and leverage technological advancements to attract and retain subscribers.