Nigeria’s telecom sector thrives with 171.6m subscribers in August 2025

Nigeria’s telecommunications industry is witnessing a notable resurgence, with total subscriptions climbing to 171.6 million in August 2025, up from 169.3 million in July, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

This 2.2 million subscriber increase signals a robust recovery and growing demand for connectivity across the West African nation.

Concurrently, broadband penetration has edged up to 48.8 percent in August from 48.0 percent in July, underscoring a promising shift toward enhanced digital infrastructure and broader internet access.

The rise in subscriptions, detailed in the NCC’s August 2025 market data report, reflects a 1.3 percent growth over the previous month, reversing a minor downward trend observed earlier in the year.

This uptick is particularly significant given Nigeria’s population of approximately 217 million, implying a teledensity of 79.1 percent, a stable yet competitive penetration rate.

Jide Awe, industry analyst attribute the growth to aggressive marketing campaigns by major operators, improved network coverage in rural areas, and the increasing reliance on mobile services for education, business, and entertainment amid economic recovery efforts.

Leading the charge is MTN Nigeria, which maintains its stronghold with a 52.3 percent market share, serving 89.6 million subscribers. Airtel follows with a solid 33.9 percent share and 58 million users, while Globacom holds 12.2 percent with 20.9 million, and T2 trails at 1.6 percent with 2.7 million.

The dominance of MTN and Airtel highlights an oligopolistic market structure, where these giants continue to invest in 4G and 5G infrastructure to retain and attract customers. The slight subscriber increase across all operators suggests that competitive pricing and enhanced service quality are driving renewed interest, particularly as economic conditions stabilize post-inflationary pressures.

A key driver of this growth is the accelerating adoption of advanced network technologies. The NCC data reveals that 4G usage surged to 51.2 percent in August from 50.9 percent in July, catering to the rising demand for high-speed internet for streaming, remote work, and e-commerce.

Meanwhile, 5G adoption has inched up to 3.3 percent from 3.2 percent, signaling early but promising traction as operators expand coverage in urban centers like Lagos and Abuja.

This technological shift is gradually phasing out older 2G networks, which dropped marginally to 38.4 percent from 38.6 percent, and 3G, which fell to 7.1 percent from 7.4 percent.

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The transition underscores Nigeria’s ambition to bridge the digital divide, though challenges remain in extending these services to rural and low-income regions reliant on basic connectivity.

The broadband sector is also showing signs of progress, with subscriptions reaching 105.2 million in August, up from 104.1 million in July. This increase has pushed broadband penetration to 48.8 percent, a modest but encouraging rise that reflects growing access to high-speed internet via mobile and ISP networks.

The NCC defines broadband as connections supporting data-intensive applications, and the uptick suggests successful policy interventions, such as government-backed digital inclusion initiatives and operator investments in fiber and wireless infrastructure.

However, with penetration still below 50 percent, significant work remains to achieve universal access, particularly in underserved areas where fixed wired connections remain negligible at under 30,000 users.

Jide views these developments as a positive step toward Nigeria’s digital economy goals, though they caution that sustaining growth will require addressing affordability, network reliability, and rural expansion.

The NCC’s ongoing efforts to regulate pricing and encourage competition, alongside operator innovations, could further propel the sector. As Nigeria navigates this growth phase, the telecom industry’s ability to leverage 5G and broadband expansion will be critical in shaping the nation’s technological future, potentially setting a benchmark for other African markets.