Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed a significant drop in the number of active Internet users in Nigeria, falling from 163.8 million in December 2023 to 139.2 million in December 2024.
The NCC’s industry statistics also indicate a decline in active telephone connections during the same period. The number of connections fell by 26.6%, from 224.7 million in 2023 to 164.9 million in 2024.
The NCC attributed the decline in December 2024 to the deactivation of SIM cards that were not linked to verifiable National Identity Numbers (NINs) and the “rectification of a major discrepancy by a mobile network operator.”
The fall in aggregate subscribers occurred concurrently with a notable decrease in teledensity from 103% to 76.1%.
Teledensity, which measures the number of active telephone connections (landline and mobile) per 100 people in a given area, is an important indicator of telecommunication penetration and accessibility.
However, despite the fall in subscribers, the volume of mobile data usage in terabytes soared, rising from 713,200 to 973,445 during the period reviewed.
A deeper dive into the report revealed that MTN continues to dominate the service provider market with a market share of 51.39% and an active subscriber base of 84.6 million as of December 2024.
Airtel followed closely with 56.6 million subscribers, accounting for 34.3% of the market, while Globacom and 9mobile made up 12.2% and 1.9%, respectively.
Additionally, in December 2024 more Nigerians had access to faster internet as 4G technology surpassed 2G in penetration, reaching 42.7% of total internet users. 2G users comprised 41.5%, 3G covered 9% while 5G remained at the bottom of the list with a 2.3% share.
Although 5G recorded the lowest penetration in the month surveyed, it maintained a steady rise throughout the year, indicating increasing adoption.
At the end of 2024, broadband penetration rose to 44.43% as the number of Nigerians with access climbed to 96.3 million from 94.7 million reported in the same period of the previous year.
The updated figures show that the NCC is 25.5% short of its 70% penetration target which it intends to achieve by the end of this year.
Based on the average monthly increase rate of about 2%, it seems unlikely that the penetration target will be met within the timeline. However, the planned 90,000 km expansion of Nigeria’s broadband network could improve the commission’s chances.
########
