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Nigeria Loses 24.6 Million Internet Subscribers in One Year

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Nigeria Loses 24.6 Million Internet Subscribers in One Year
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Between December 2023 and December 2024, Nigeria saw a dramatic drop in active internet users—from 163.8 million down to 139.2 million—according to the latest figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This decline was paralleled by a significant reduction in active telephone connections, which fell from 224.7 million to 164.9 million, marking a 26.6% decrease over the same period.

The NCC attributes this subscriber loss to the deactivation of SIM cards that were not linked to verifiable National Identity Numbers (NINs) and to the rectification of a major discrepancy reported by one of the mobile network operators. Alongside these changes, the overall teledensity—a measure of active telephone connections per 100 people—dropped from 103% to 76.1%, reflecting a reduced level of telecommunications penetration and accessibility.

Despite the reduction in subscriber numbers, mobile data usage experienced a significant surge, increasing from 713,200 terabytes to 973,445 terabytes during the period under review.

The report also highlights market shares among service providers. MTN continues to lead with a 51.39% market share and 84.6 million active subscribers as of December 2024. Airtel follows with 56.6 million subscribers and a 34.3% share of the market, while Globacom and 9mobile hold 12.2% and 1.9%, respectively.

In terms of technology adoption, there has been a notable shift in internet connectivity. As of December 2024, 4G technology surpassed 2G in penetration, with 42.7% of internet users on 4G compared to 41.5% on 2G. Additionally, 3G services accounted for 9% of users, and although 5G usage remains low at 2.3%, it continued to grow steadily over the year. Broadband access also improved, with penetration rising to 44.43%—the number of Nigerians with broadband connectivity increased from 94.7 million to 96.3 million.

Despite these gains, the NCC’s updated figures reveal that the commission is still 25.5% short of its 70% broadband penetration target, which it aims to achieve by the end of this year. With an average monthly growth rate of about 2%, meeting this ambitious goal appears challenging. However, the planned expansion of Nigeria’s broadband network by 90,000 kilometers could enhance the prospects of closing this gap.

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