Nigeria’s telecommunications sector continued its steady expansion in early 2026, with total active telephony subscriptions rising to 182.23 million in January, pushing national teledensity to 84.06 percent, according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The figures show the sector added about 2.58 million new subscriptions in January, the strongest monthly increase in the past five months, underscoring the growing role of telecom services in driving Nigeria’s digital economy.
The January total represents a steady rise from 179.64 million subscriptions in December 2025, 177.43 million in November, 175.32 million in October, and 173.54 million in September, reflecting sustained growth in mobile connectivity across Africa’s most populous nation.
Teledensity, defined as the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants, also climbed steadily during the period, rising from 80.05 percent in September 2025 to 84.06 percent in January 2026, signalling wider access to communication services nationwide.
Industry data shows mobile GSM services remain the backbone of Nigeria’s telecom market, accounting for the vast majority of subscriptions. Active GSM connections stood at about 150.9 million lines in January, while other segments such as fixed wired services, VoIP connections and internet service providers contributed relatively small numbers.
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Within the mobile market, MTN Nigeria maintained a dominant position with 94.2 million subscribers, representing 51.78 percent of total market share. Airtel Nigeria followed with 62.04 million subscribers, giving it 34.09 percent of the market, while Globacom held 22.46 million users or 12.34 percent. Smaller operator T2 accounted for 3.26 million subscribers, representing 1.79 percent.
Together, MTN and Airtel control nearly 86 percent of Nigeria’s mobile market, highlighting their strong influence in a sector that has become central to the country’s digital infrastructure.
The data also points to a gradual shift toward faster mobile networks. Fourth-generation (4G) technology accounted for 53.41 percent of all connections in January, up slightly from 52.95 percent in December, making it the dominant network standard in the country.
By comparison, 2G connections declined to 36.97 percent, while 3G usage dropped further to 5.67 percent, reflecting continued migration away from legacy technologies.
Fifth-generation (5G) services, though still in the early stages of adoption, expanded gradually to 3.94 percent of connections, signalling increasing operator investment in next-generation infrastructure.
Broadband adoption also strengthened, with 115.04 million active internet subscriptions recorded in January. This pushed Nigeria’s broadband penetration rate to 53.07 percent, up from 51.97 percent in December, marking another milestone in the country’s digital expansion.
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The growth in connectivity is mirrored in rising data usage. Nigerians consumed about 1,385,536.04 terabytes of data in January, broadly stable compared with 1,386,238.23 terabytes in December, but part of a longer-term upward trend driven by streaming services, social media, digital payments and cloud-based applications.
Despite intense competition among operators, mobile number portability activity remained relatively low, with 1,468 transactions recorded in January. MTN recorded the highest subscriber outflows with 740 ports, while Airtel gained the largest number of incoming users with 494 net inflows.
Overall, the latest statistics highlight a resilient and steadily expanding telecom sector, with rising broadband penetration and strong data demand reinforcing the industry’s role in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The sector continues to support economic activity across industries, enabling digital finance, e-commerce, education and government services as millions more Nigerians gain access to connectivity.
