Nigeria's telecommunications sector continued its growth trajectory as internet subscriptions reached 134.78 million in October 2024, according to the latest industry report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This represents an increase of 1.88 million subscribers from September's figure of 132.9 million.

The report shows that mobile (GSM) services dominated the market with 134.27 million subscribers, with the remainder using fixed wired and VoIP connections. Most major telecom operators saw subscriber growth, with MTN Nigeria leading the pack.

Subscriber Breakdown by Provider:

- MTN Nigeria: 69.52 million (up 1.13 million)

- Airtel: 45.47 million (up 678,219)

- Globacom: 17.10 million (up 184,887)

- 9mobile: 2.16 million (down 125,780)

Total telephony services also saw significant growth, reaching 157.37 million subscribers in October, an increase of 2.69 million from September. Market share distribution remained similar, with MTN holding the largest portion at 80.37 million subscribers, followed by Airtel (54.44 million), Globacom (19.10 million), and 9mobile (3.33 million).

The report highlighted several other positive trends in Nigeria's telecommunications sector:

- Broadband penetration increased from 41.56% to 42.24%

- Data usage grew to 870,398.28 terabytes from 850,249.09 terabytes

- Network technology adoption showed strong growth across generations, with 5G (2.33%), 4G (46.27%), and 3G (9.40%) all seeing increased usage

The continued growth in internet subscriptions and broadband penetration suggests an increasing digital transformation across Nigeria, with mobile connectivity remaining the primary means of internet access for most subscribers.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​