The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) released new statistics yesterday showing that telecom subscriptions in Nigeria reached 222,571,568 as of December 31, 2022, an increase from the 218,953,849 subscriptions recorded in November of the same year. The data, obtained from the NCC’s official website, indicates a steady growth in subscriptions throughout the year, from January 2022 to December 2022.
An analysis of the numbers revealed steady growth in telecom subscriptions from January to December 2022. In January 2022, the number of subscriptions was 197.5 million, with a teledensity of 103.46%. The figures continued to rise each month, reaching 198.1 million with a teledensity of 103.79% in February, 199.6 million with a teledensity of 104.54% in March, 201.7 million with a teledensity of 105.65% in April, 204.6 million with a teledensity of 107.17% in May, 206.5 million with a teledensity of 108.15% in June, 208.9 million with a teledensity of 109.47% in July, 209.9 million with a teledensity of 109.99% in August, 212.2 million with a teledensity of 111.17% in September, 214.7 million with a teledensity of 112.47% in October, 218.9 million with a teledensity of 114.70% in November, and 222.6 million with a teledensity of 116.60% in December.
Teledensity, which is the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants within an area, is expressed as a percentage and calculated based on a population estimate of 190 million, an increase from 140 million in 2019. The latest data from the NCC also shows the market share of each telecom operator, with MTN having the largest share at 40.06%, with 89,016,678 subscribers on its network. Globacom, the second largest operator, holds a market share of 27.13% with 60,290,012 subscribers, followed closely by Airtel with a market share of 27.03% and 60,065,904 subscribers. 9mobile has a market share of 5.78%, with 12,852,706 subscribers. The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, attributes the steady growth in subscriptions in 2022 to the launch of the 5G network by MTN and customer-friendly promotions by network operators, as well as the NCC’s supportive policies.
Source: ThisDay Live