Nigeria’s Telecom Sector Rebounds As Active Subscriptions Hit 169.3m

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has staged a strong recovery, with active mobile subscriptions soaring to 169.3 million in January 2025, up from 164.9 million in December 2024.

This marks a significant turnaround following a period of decline caused by mass SIM deactivations and sector rebasing, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed in its latest industry report.

According to the NCC, the sector had suffered a sharp decline in September 2024, when subscriptions dropped to 154.9 million due to the deactivation of over 42 million SIM cards in February 2024.

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However, the steady growth in recent months signals renewed confidence in the industry.

“The growth was driven by two network operators, MTN and Airtel, which recorded an increase in their subscriber base in the month under review,” the NCC stated.

MTN and Airtel Lead Market Growth

MTN Nigeria maintained its dominance, increasing its market share to 51.7% with 87.5 million subscribers in January 2025, up from 84.6 million the previous month.

Airtel followed closely, expanding its subscriber base to 57.6 million and securing a 34.1% market share, up from 56.6 million in December.

Meanwhile, Globacom, which had previously suffered subscriber losses due to a regulatory audit, showed signs of recovery, growing from 20.1 million subscribers in December 2024 to 20.5 million in January 2025.

In contrast, 9mobile continued its downward trajectory. Once a major player in Nigeria’s telecom space, the company’s subscriber base has stagnated at 3.2 million for three consecutive months, a far cry from its peak of 23.4 million subscribers in 2015.

The NCC report also highlighted a sharp rise in mobile number portability activities.

A total of 8,708 subscribers switched networks in January 2025, a significant jump from the 2,998 recorded in December 2024.

9mobile bore the brunt of these migrations, losing 6,716 customers to rival networks in January.

Comparatively, MTN lost 1,188 subscribers, Airtel recorded 399 outgoing porting, while Globacom lost 405.

On the flip side, MTN emerged as the biggest gainer, attracting 5,551 new subscribers from other networks.

Airtel followed with 2,414 incoming porting, while Globacom gained 736. However, 9mobile recorded only seven incoming porting activities, further emphasizing its struggle to retain and attract subscribers.

The NCC also noted that the sector’s teledensity—measuring active phone connections per population—rose to 78.10% in January 2025, up from 76.08% in December 2024.

With the continued expansion of subscriber bases for MTN and Airtel, alongside the gradual recovery of Globacom, Nigeria’s telecom sector appears to be on an upward trajectory.

However, 9mobile’s persistent decline remains a concern, as the company struggles to regain its former market share.