- MTN Leads In Both Internet, Telephony Subscriptions
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed how the country’s internet data usage surged to 870,398.28 terabytes in October as against the 850, 249.09 terabytes recorded in September.
The commission disclosed that this rebound follows a decline in September, which saw internet consumption drop by 0.82 per cent to 850,249.09 terabytes, adding that it was the first decrease since February 2024.
The NCC, however, stressed that this latest development reflects a notable recovery in data usage after the decline in September.
This simply means that Nigerians consumed an enormous amount of data in October, with 870,398 terabytes—equivalent to 870,398,000 gigabytes—being used across the country.
In addition to the surge in data usage, Nigeria’s internet subscriber base grew by 1.88 million in October, reaching a total of 134.78 million, up from 132.9 million in September.
According to the NCC report mobile networks accounted for the vast majority of internet users, with 134.27 million subscribers, while fixed wired and Voice Over Internet Protocol networks made up the remainder.
The growth in internet subscribers was led by MTN Nigeria, which added 1.13 million new users, bringing its total to 69.52 million in October.
Airtel followed with an increase of 678,219 subscribers, totalling 45.47 million. Globacom also recorded growth, gaining 184,887 new users to reach 17.10 million.
In contrast, 9mobile saw a decline, with its internet subscriber base falling by 125,780 from 2.29 million in September to 2.16 million in October.
The NCC’s report also highlighted a significant rise in overall telephony subscriptions, which increased by 2.69 million to reach 157.37 million in October.
MTN continued to lead the market with 80.37 million subscribers, followed by Airtel with 54.44 million, Globacom with 19.10 million, and 9mobile with 3.33 million.
