Nigeria’s mobile telecommunications market has recorded its strongest recovery in more than two years, with total active subscriptions rising to 189.4 million in May, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The latest figure marks the highest subscriber level since April 2024, when the country’s combined mobile subscriber base stood at 216.6 million before regulatory efforts to remove inactive and improperly registered SIM cards led to a sharp decline in subscriptions.
The rebound was driven by growth across the country’s major telecom operators, with MTN Nigeria maintaining its position as the largest mobile network provider.
MTN ended May with 96.9 million active subscriptions, representing 51.19 per cent of Nigeria’s total mobile market.
Airtel Nigeria retained its position as the second-largest operator, recording 65.4 million active subscriptions and accounting for 34.55 per cent of the market.
Globacom ranked third with 23.4 million active subscriptions, giving it a 12.39 per cent market share.
T2, formerly known as 9mobile, remained the smallest mobile operator in the country, with 3.5 million active subscriptions.
The latest figures indicate a continued recovery in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector following the subscriber losses caused by the nationwide SIM registration and verification exercise, which was aimed at improving data integrity and strengthening security within the industry.
