Nigeria’s active mobile subscriptions increased by approximately 2.9 million in September 2026, taking the combined subscriber base of MTN, Airtel, Globacom and T2 above the 200 million mark for the first time since the industry’s major contraction in 2024.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that the four mobile network operators recorded a combined 200.1 million active subscriptions in September, up from 197.17 million in August.
The increase of 2,927,599 subscriptions represents a 1.5% month-on-month growth, marking another month of expansion for Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
The development brings the market back above the 200 million threshold it last crossed in April 2024, before the enforcement of the Federal Government’s National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage requirements triggered mass disconnections and a significant adjustment in reported subscriber numbers.
MTN accounts for most of the new subscriptions
MTN Nigeria accounted for the largest share of the September increase, adding approximately 2.09 million subscriptions to its network during the month.
- The operator ended September with 104.65 million active subscriptions, up from 102.56 million in August, representing approximately 52.3% of the combined subscriber base of the four operators.
- Airtel followed with 68.04 million subscriptions, adding 618,660 connections during the month to retain its position as Nigeria’s second-largest mobile network operator.
Globacom recorded 23.8 million active subscriptions, an increase of 217,597 from August, while T2 remained unchanged at approximately 3.61 million subscriptions.
- The figures indicate that MTN alone accounted for more than 71% of the combined net additions recorded by the four operators in September.
The distribution also reinforces the concentration of Nigeria’s mobile telecommunications market, with MTN and Airtel controlling approximately 86.3% of the combined subscriptions.
Nigeria mobile subscriptions recover as smartphone ownership reaches 75%
Nigeria’s return to more than 200 million active mobile subscriptions comes after a significant contraction in 2024, following the enforcement of the Federal Government’s National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage policy.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) historical data show that active telephone subscriptions declined from 216.97 million in April 2024 to 172.14 million in May 2024, representing a loss of approximately 44.8 million connections in one month.
The decline followed the regulatory exercise requiring subscribers to link their NINs to their SIM cards, resulting in the disconnection of lines that did not meet the prescribed verification requirements. The industry has since gradually rebuilt its subscriber base, with September 2026 marking a return above the 200 million threshold.
Beyond the growth in mobile connections, other indicators point to an expanding digital ecosystem, particularly the increasing adoption of smartphones and internet-enabled services.
According to the Nigeria Smartphone Study: A Nationwide Analysis of Smartphone Ownership and Digital Application Usage, conducted by KPMG in partnership with Orange Group Nigeria, smartphone ownership increased from 64% in 2023 to 75% in 2025, an improvement of 11 percentage points.
The study, which surveyed 13,251 respondents across 12 major Nigerian cities, highlights the growing importance of smartphones in accessing financial services, telecommunications, commerce, entertainment, education and transportation.
The increasing adoption of internet-enabled devices is also changing how Nigerians interact with digital platforms, from mobile banking and electronic payments to online shopping and digital content consumption.
However, greater smartphone ownership does not necessarily translate into universal access to faster mobile networks. KPMG noted that more than a third of Nigeria’s mobile subscribers were still using 2G networks as of May 2026, highlighting the gap between device adoption and the quality of connectivity available to consumers.
NCC’s September statistics show that 4G accounted for 54.37% of mobile connections, while 5G represented 5.05%, indicating a gradual transition towards higher-generation networks.
The regulator also recorded an increase in internet subscriptions from approximately 158.5 million in August to 160.9 million in September, while broadband subscriptions rose from 126.2 million to approximately 128 million. Teledensity, which measures active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants, increased from 91.07% to 92.41%.
Despite the expansion in connectivity, total internet data consumption declined slightly from 1.76 million terabytes in August to 1.73 million terabytes in September, representing a 1.4% month-on-month reduction.
TechMedia Africa recently reported that Airtel Nigeria generated $544 million (approximately ₦732.6 billion) from data subscriptions over a six-month period. For MTN Nigeria, the telecom gaint, between January and June 2026, generated N1.7 trillion from data alone, representing a 38.4 percent increase from the same period in 2025.
Taken together, the figures point to a telecommunications market expanding in terms of subscriptions, smartphone adoption and internet access, although challenges around network quality, affordability and meaningful digital inclusion remain.
