The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reported a significant decline in the country’s internet subscribers, with a drop of 24.5 million in 2024. According to the commission’s latest industry statistics published on Monday, the number of internet subscribers fell to 139.28 million by December 2024. This represents a 15 percent decrease compared to 163.83 million recorded in December 2023.
Out of the total number of subscribers, mobile (GSM) services accounted for 138.77 million. The remaining subscribers used fixed wired and VoIP services. A closer look at the data reveals varied performances among telecommunication companies.
MTN Nigeria’s internet subscribers rose by 1.61 million, reaching 72.22 million in December 2024, up from 70.60 million in November. On a year-on-year basis, MTN’s internet subscribers grew by 1.56 million from 70.65 million in December 2023. Airtel gained 1.24 million subscribers, evolving from 46.17 million in November to 47.41 million in December 2024.
This marked a year-on-year increase of 2.34 million compared to the 45 million recorded in December 2023. In contrast, Globacom saw a decline, with its subscribers moving from 17.19 million in November 2024 to 17 million in December. This indicated a drop of 117,711 subscribers.
Notably, this is a significant decrease from the 43.99 million recorded in December 2023.
Decline in Nigerian internet subscribers
The number of 9mobile subscribers remained unchanged at 2.06 million between November and December 2024.
However, the telco lost 1.56 million subscribers over the year, down from 3.63 million in December 2023. The NCC’s data further revealed that there were 164.9 million subscribers for telephony services in December 2024. This showed an increase of 5 million from 159.8 million recorded in November.
However, this represents a substantial drop of 59.7 million when compared to the 224.7 million recorded in December 2023. Out of the total telephony subscribers, MTN recorded 84.6 million active users. Airtel accounted for 56.61 million.
Globacom had 20.13 million. 9mobile remained at 3.23 million. Broadband penetration in the country increased from 43.16 percent in November 2024 to 44.43 percent in December.
Additionally, data usage experienced a surge, climbing to 973,455.35 terabytes in December 2024. This was up by 260,254.75 terabytes from the 713,200.6 terabytes recorded in December 2023. In terms of network generation, usage distribution was recorded as follows:
– 5G: 2.46 percent
– 4G: 47.2 percent
– 3G: 8.75 percent
The NCC’s detailed statistics indicate dynamic changes within Nigeria’s telecommunication industry.
The data highlights areas of growth as well as sectors experiencing declines in subscriber numbers.
Cameron is a highly regarded contributor in the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. His articles delve into the theoretical underpinnings of AI, the practical applications of machine learning across industries, ethical considerations of autonomous systems, and the societal impacts of these disruptive technologies.
