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

Nigeria’s active mobile telecommunications subscriptions have crossed the 200 million mark for the first time in more than two years, signalling a recovery in the country’s telecoms market following the Federal Government’s National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM verification exercise that disconnected millions of telephone lines in 2024.

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.

The growth was largely driven by subscriber additions across the major mobile network providers, particularly MTN Nigeria and Airtel, as operators continued to rebuild their customer bases through new registrations, network expansion and improved service offerings.

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.

The recovery comes nearly two years after the NIN-SIM linkage enforcement exercise resulted in the disconnection of millions of telephone lines that failed to meet the mandatory identity verification requirements. According to Nairametrics, the exercise removed about 64.3 million lines from the networks, significantly affecting operators’ subscriber databases, particularly Globacom and the then 9mobile.

However, the latest figures suggest that the industry has gradually recovered from the disruption, with fresh SIM registrations and the reactivation of previously disconnected lines contributing to subscriber growth.

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.

Nevertheless, the 200 million milestone should not be interpreted as 200 million individual Nigerians having access to mobile services, as subscribers may operate multiple SIM cards across different networks.

The latest figures also underline the need for sustained investment in network capacity, broadband infrastructure and service quality to ensure that subscriber growth translates into improved connectivity and greater digital inclusion, particularly in underserved rural communities.

The NCC’s data therefore points to a recovering telecommunications market. However, the next challenge for operators and regulators will be converting the expanding subscriber base into deeper internet adoption, better service delivery and stronger contributions to economic productivity.