According to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) latest industry statistics release, Nigeria’s telecommunications industry sustained its growth trajectory in April 2026, with active mobile subscriptions rising to 188.01 million and broadband penetration climbing to 55.67 per cent, reflecting continued expansion in digital connectivity across the country.
The latest data showed that active telephony subscriptions increased to 188,009,171 in April, up from the previous month’s figure, pushing the country’s teledensity to 86.73 per cent from 85.67 per cent recorded in March.
The steady increase underscores growing demand for mobile voice and data services, as more Nigerians gain access to telecommunications services and high-speed internet.
MTN Nigeria retained its position as the country’s largest mobile operator, with 96,391,419 active subscribers, representing more than half of the nation’s total mobile subscriptions.
Airtel Nigeria followed with 64,670,018 subscribers, while Globacom recorded 23,178,597 active lines. T2 accounted for 3,538,021 subscribers during the period.
The report also highlighted continued migration by subscribers to faster broadband technologies. Fourth-generation (4G) networks remained the dominant mobile technology, accounting for 54.41 per cent of total network connections in April, an increase from 53.76 per cent recorded in March.
Fifth-generation (5G) services also continued to gain traction, with market share rising from 4.20 per cent to 4.34 per cent within the same period, reflecting increasing adoption of next-generation connectivity.
Conversely, the share of second-generation (2G) subscriptions declined to 35.93 per cent from 36.74 per cent, indicating the gradual movement of subscribers away from legacy networks to faster broadband services.
Third-generation (3G) connections remained relatively stable, accounting for 5.32 per cent of total network connections, compared with 5.30 per cent in March.
The NCC further disclosed that total internet subscriptions stood at 154,724,088 in April. Of this figure, mobile GSM networks accounted for 154,347,260 subscriptions, while fixed-wired internet services contributed 156,662 subscriptions. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services recorded 220,166 subscriptions.
Broadband subscriptions also recorded strong growth during the month, rising to 120,684,625 from 117,710,397 recorded in March.
As a result, broadband penetration increased from 54.30 per cent to 55.67 percent, reflecting sustained investment in broadband infrastructure as well as growing consumer and business adoption of high-speed internet services.
Despite the increase in internet and broadband subscriptions, total internet data consumption declined slightly during the month. Data usage dropped marginally to 1,414,848.70 terabytes (TB) in April from 1,422,764.54TB recorded in March, suggesting that while more Nigerians are connecting to the internet, overall data consumption remained broadly stable.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector continued to strengthen its contribution to the national economy, accounting for 9.19 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2026.
The latest industry figures reinforce the sector’s critical role in driving Nigeria’s digital economy. Industry stakeholders maintain that sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, wider 5G rollout and continued improvements in quality of service will further accelerate digital inclusion, innovation and economic growth.