The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that internet subscriptions in the country rose to 134.78 million in October 2024, marking an increase of 1.88 million from the 132.9 million recorded in September.
In its latest industry report, published on Wednesday, the NCC disclosed that mobile (GSM) subscribers accounted for 134.27 million, with the remaining users falling under fixed wired and VoIP services.
Performance of Telecommunication Companies
The report indicated that all major telecommunication companies, except 9mobile, recorded significant growth in internet subscriptions during the period under review:
- MTN Nigeria: Internet subscribers increased by 1.13 million, rising from 68.39 million in September to 69.52 million in October.
- Airtel: Gained 678,219 subscribers, with its user base climbing from 44.79 million to 45.47 million.
- Globacom: Added 184,887 subscribers, increasing from 16.92 million to 17.10 million.
- 9mobile: Experienced a decline of 125,780 subscribers, dropping from 2.29 million to 2.16 million.
Telephony Subscribers and Broadband Penetration
The total number of subscribers for telephony services also rose to 157.37 million in October, an increase of 2.69 million from the 154.9 million recorded in September.
In the breakdown:
- MTN led with 80.37 million subscribers.
- Airtel followed with 54.44 million.
- Globacom had 19.10 million.
- 9mobile recorded 3.33 million subscribers.
Broadband penetration improved to 42.24 percent in October, compared to 41.56 percent in September. Broadband penetration is calculated by dividing the total broadband subscriptions by the country’s population.
Data Usage and Generational Network Growth
The NCC also reported a rise in data consumption, with usage climbing to 870,398.28 terabytes in October from 850,249.09 terabytes in September. Growth in generational network usage was as follows:
- 5G usage increased by 2.33 percent.
- 4G usage surged by 46.27 percent.
- 3G usage rose by 9.40 percent.
