Despite Starlink’s internet popularity in Nigeria, carriers in Africa’s largest country recorded a total of 156 million active users to data services in February, according to the most recent information from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
With 66.7 million active internet users in the reviewed month, MTN was the main driver of the growth. Airtel came in second with 41.9 million, followed by Globacom with 43.4 million and 9Mobile with 4.3 million.
The rise shows that customers are spending more money on data and that businesses are maximising internet adoption to drive output, according to Ajibola Olude, executive secretary of the Association of telecoms firms of Nigeria (ATCON).
“More people can access the internet and sign up for services when internet service providers increase their service areas and offer more affordable plans.”
He claims that because all of this innovation depends on SIMs to carry out various tasks, the increase also demonstrates the Internet of Things and bots have begun to acquire traction in the Nigerian digital realm.
According to additional industry data research, there were 227 million registered cell phone subscribers in February. The country’s teledensity—a measure of the number of active telephone lines per 100 people residing in an area—rose along with the increase noted by the carriers, rising from 118 per cent in January to 119 per cent in February 2023.
Based on a 190 million population projection, density is determined.
According to a study on the mobile economy for 2023, “Mobile connectivity will continue to be a lifeline for society, assisting the most vulnerable individuals in regions affected by conflict and natural disasters to maintain connectivity.”
By the end of 2022, 5.4 billion individuals worldwide had a mobile service subscription, including 4.4 billion users of mobile internet.
According to the Global System for Mobile Communications study, mobile technologies and services will contribute 5% of the world’s GDP in 2022, adding $5.2 trillion to the economy and supporting 28 million employees across the entire mobile ecosystem.
According to NCC statistics, the telecoms sector in Nigeria increased its share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 13.55 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022.
However, when compared to other ICT industries in the economy, the communications and technology industry recorded the greatest development rate in 2022.
