Nigeria’s digital economy takes hit as 64.3 million lines are deactivated

In a notable shift, Nigeria’s internet consumption experienced its first decline since February 2024, according to the latest report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Data usage dropped to 850,249.09 terabytes in September, reflecting a 0.82% decrease from the 853,954.05 terabytes recorded in August.

This decline is accompanied by a significant decrease in the country’s subscriber base, primarily due to the recent verification of National Identification Numbers (NIN) linked to SIM cards.

The verification exercise, which concluded on September 14, led to the deactivation of 64.3 million lines across the four major telecom operators: MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile.

The NCC report highlighted the severe impact of this verification on Globacom and 9mobile. Globacom, which had 62.1 million active subscriptions in March, saw its numbers plummet to 19.1 million by September—a staggering loss of 43 million lines. Similarly, 9mobile’s subscriber count dropped from 11.6 million to 3.6 million, a reduction of 8 million subscribers.

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As of September 2024, the total number of active subscriptions in Nigeria stands at 154.6 million, down from 219 million in March. Despite these losses, MTN maintained its position as the market leader with 78 million active subscriptions, though it also faced a loss of 3.7 million users during the verification process. Airtel followed in second place with 53.7 million subscriptions, down from 63.3 million, representing a loss of 9.6 million subscriptions over the last six months.

On a more positive note, the adoption of 5G technology in Nigeria continues to grow steadily, with penetration increasing to 2.19% in September, up from 2.12% in August and 1.95% in July, indicating a rising interest in high-speed internet solutions.

As the industry navigates these changes, the future of Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape remains a critical focus for stakeholders and consumers alike.