Nigeria’s telecom subscribers climb to 184.6 million, signalling market growth

Nigeria’s telecom subscribers rose to 184.6 million in February 2026, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

This marks a steady increase from 182.2 million recorded in January, pushing teledensity up to 85.16%, a key indicator of mobile penetration across the country. The growth reflects continued expansion in mobile connectivity, with GSM networks still dominating the market.

MTN Nigeria is the largest mobile network operator in the country, with over 95 million subscribers, representing 51.7% of the market. Airtel Nigeria is the second largest, holding a 34.2% market share.

Globacom and 9mobile share the remainder of the market, but data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) indicates that MTN and Airtel are acquiring the most new subscribers.

MTN extends market dominance

MTN Nigeria’s subscriber base of 95 million represents more than half of Nigeria’s total telecom users, cementing its position as the country’s largest mobile network operator. The company’s market share of 51.7% means that one in every two Nigerian mobile users is on the MTN network.

Airtel Nigeria holds the second-largest share at 34.2%, maintaining a significant distance from smaller competitors. The gap between the top two operators and the rest of the market continues to widen, reflecting challenges smaller networks face in competing for subscribers.

Nigeria’s mobile market saw a solid increase of 2.4 million subscribers between January and February. This represents a growth of about 1.3% from one month to the next, showing the market is expanding at a consistent pace.

Read also: 83.2% of Nigerian phone users are internet subscribers – NCC data

Growth occurred despite economic challenges, including inflation, a weaker currency, and increased tariffs from January 2025.

Teledensity climbs despite challenges

In February, Nigeria had approximately 85 active phone connections for every 100 people, a slight increase from previous months. This indicates that more people in Nigeria, which has a population of about 217 million, are gaining access to mobile phones.

The teledensity figures might be inaccurate because many people have more than one SIM card. Although the teledensity is 85.16%, the actual number of unique mobile users is probably lower because of this SIM card duplication.

Telecom companies are gaining more subscribers as they invest in improving their networks to handle the increasing need for data. More Nigerians are using mobile internet on their smartphones for things like banking, shopping, entertainment, and staying in touch. This is why the number of subscribers is rising.

According to the NCC data, Nigeria’s telecoms sector is thriving in Africa. Subscriber numbers are steadily increasing, even when the economy is unstable. This growth is driven by Nigeria’s large youth population and the rising use of smartphones.

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