By John Attah
Nigeria’s active telecommunications subscriptions have crossed the 200 million mark, reaching 200.3 million in September, as 5G connections accounted for more than five per cent of the country’s mobile network share for the first time in the reported period.
Latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that active subscriptions increased by about 2.9 million, from 197.4 million in August to 200,337,097 in September.
The development marks a recovery in active connections following the mass disconnection of telephone lines during the enforcement of the National Identification Number-SIM linkage exercise in 2024.
Teledensity also increased to 92.41 per cent in September from 91.07 per cent in the preceding month.
According to the NCC, teledensity measures the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants, rather than the number of unique subscribers, as individuals can own multiple lines.
A breakdown of network technology subscriptions showed that 4G maintained its dominance with 54.37 per cent of mobile connections, while 2G accounted for 36.42 per cent and 3G represented 4.16 per cent.
However, 5G’s share increased to 5.05 per cent in September from 4.92 per cent in August, indicating gradual growth in the adoption of fifth-generation mobile technology.
Internet subscriptions also recorded an increase, rising to 160.9 million from 158.5 million in August.
Broadband subscriptions climbed to 128 million from 126.2 million, while broadband penetration improved to 59.05 per cent from 58.22 per cent.
Despite the growth in subscriptions, internet data consumption declined during the month.
The NCC figures showed that total data usage dropped to 1.73 million terabytes in September from 1.76 million terabytes in August.
Meanwhile, mobile number portability activity increased, with 1,603 subscribers switching networks in September, compared with 1,111 in the previous month.
MTN recorded the highest number of incoming ported lines at 854, followed by Airtel with 580, Globacom with 165 and Vitel with four. T2 recorded no incoming ports.
The telecommunications sector also strengthened its contribution to the economy, with its share of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rising to 9.72 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 9.19 per cent in the first quarter.
Further expansion was recorded in fixed broadband infrastructure, as Fibre to the X (FTTX) subscriptions increased to 401,666 in the third quarter from 319,735 in the second quarter.
The NCC’s FTTX classification covers fibre connections to homes, offices, streets, hubs and other locations, including subscriptions provided by internet service providers and fixed or private network operators.
The latest figures point to continued growth in Nigeria’s telecommunications subscription base and broadband infrastructure, although the decline in monthly data consumption highlights a contrasting trend in internet usage.
