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Nigeria’s telecommunications sector continued its strong upward trajectory in April 2026, reinforcing its role as a backbone of the country’s fast-expanding digital economy.
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Active mobile subscriptions rose to 188.01 million, while broadband penetration climbed to 55.67 per cent, according to the latest industry data.
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Figures released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that the sector’s sustained growth is not only improving connectivity nationwide but also accelerating digital inclusion, innovation, and economic productivity across multiple sectors.
Mobile Subscriptions and Teledensity Continue to Rise
Active telephony subscriptions increased to 188,009,171 in April from 185.7 million in March, pushing Nigeria’s teledensity to 86.73 per cent, up from 85.67 per cent the previous month.
On a year-on-year basis, mobile subscriptions grew by 15.1 million, representing an 8.7 per cent increase from 172.9 million recorded in April 2025. Month-on-month growth stood at 2.3 million subscribers, reflecting renewed momentum in customer acquisition across the industry.
Industry analysts attribute this performance largely to the easing of regulatory and operational bottlenecks, particularly improved compliance with SIM registration and National Identification Number (NIN) linkage requirements. The reactivation of previously barred SIMs, coupled with streamlined onboarding and SIM recovery processes by operators, significantly boosted active lines.
Operator Performance Signals Sector Recovery
All major operators posted positive subscriber additions during the period, underlining the sector’s broad-based recovery.
MTN Nigeria retained its market leadership, adding 632,209 new subscribers to reach 96.4 million in April, up from 95.8 million in March.
Airtel Nigeria recorded the strongest growth, expanding its customer base by about one million subscribers to 64.7 million from 63.6 million.
Globacom sustained its recovery with an increase of 538,704 subscribers, bringing its total to 23.2 million.
Meanwhile, 9mobile (now T2) posted modest growth, rising to 3.54 million subscribers from 3.48 million.
Broadband Expansion Deepens Digital Inclusion
Beyond voice services, the data highlights steady progress in broadband adoption—a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Broadband subscriptions rose to 120.68 million in April from 117.71 million in March, lifting broadband penetration to 55.67 per cent, up from 54.30 per cent. This growth reflects sustained investment in broadband infrastructure and rising demand for high-speed internet among consumers and businesses.
Total internet subscriptions stood at 154.7 million, with mobile GSM networks accounting for the overwhelming majority. Fixed-wired internet subscriptions totaled 156,662, while Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services accounted for 220,166 subscriptions.
Migration to Faster Networks Accelerates
The NCC data also shows a clear shift toward higher-speed technologies, supporting more advanced digital services such as fintech, e-commerce, e-health, and cloud-based applications.
- 4G remained dominant, accounting for 54.41 per cent of connections, up from 53.76 per cent in March.
- 5G adoption continued to gain traction, rising to 4.34 per cent from 4.20 per cent.
- 2G usage declined to 35.93 per cent, underscoring gradual migration away from legacy networks.
- 3G remained stable at 5.32 per cent.
This transition to faster broadband technologies is critical for supporting Nigeria’s ambitions in areas such as digital payments, smart infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and the wider knowledge economy.
Telecoms as a Pillar of Nigeria’s Digital Economy
Despite the increase in subscriptions, total internet data consumption dipped slightly to 1.41 million terabytes in April from 1.42 million terabytes in March, suggesting stable usage patterns even as more Nigerians come online.
Crucially, the telecommunications sector accounted for 9.19 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring its strategic importance to national economic growth.
Stakeholders maintain that continued investment in broadband infrastructure, wider 5G rollout, and improved quality of service will further strengthen the sector’s contribution—unlocking productivity gains, enabling innovation, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition to a fully digitised economy.
Outlook: Strong Foundations for Sustained Growth
Looking ahead, subscriber growth is expected to remain robust as inactive lines are reactivated and new SIM registrations normalise. Over the medium to long term, favourable demographics, rising smartphone penetration, and growing demand for data services position Nigeria’s telecoms sector for sustained expansion.
As broadband penetration deepens and next-generation networks scale, the sector is set to play an even more decisive role in powering Nigeria’s digital economy and supporting inclusive economic growth.
