A recent report shows that Nigerians are getting more connected than ever, with active mobile lines climbing toward the 190-million mark, even as network operators battle higher costs. According to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), active subscriptions reached 189.68 million in May, up from 188.01 million in April and 185.72 million in March. That’s close to four million new connections in just eight weeks. Teledensity, which shows many active lines exist for every 100 people, also rose to 87.50 per cent in May, from 86.73 per cent in April.
Voice calls aren’t what’s fueling the rise, the report continues. The real story is data. Broadband subscriptions grew to 121.64 million from 120.68 million a month earlier, pushing broadband penetration to 56.11 per cent. Nigerians also burned through 1.50 million terabytes of data in May, a new record, up from 1.41 million terabytes in April, as people leaned harder on streaming, social media, mobile banking apps, cloud tools and AI services.
The kind of network people are using is shifting too. 4G still carries most of the traffic, at 54.30 per cent of subscriptions, while 5G edged up to 4.49 per cent. Older 2G and 3G networks kept losing ground, now at 36.12 per cent and 5.10 per cent respectively.
The report revealed that amidst all this, two operators continue to dominate the market. MTN Nigeria stayed on top with 96.98 million subscribers, just over half the market at 51.19 per cent. Airtel Nigeria followed with 65.45 million subscribers, or 34.55 per cent; meaning MTN and Airtel together control close to 86 per cent of all active lines. Globacom trailed behind with 23.47 million subscribers, while T2, formerly 9mobile, has an aggregate 3.54 million.
The surge in data appetite lines up with what MTN itself reported when the company released its 2026, half-year results. Chief executive Karl Toriola said demand for the company’s services has held firm despite pressure on household budgets, and MTN intends to keep expanding network capacity to keep up.
