Nigeria’s telecoms subscriber base climbs to 189.6 million, MTN holds lead
Nigeria’s active telecoms subscriber base grew to 189,675,650 lines in May 2026, up from 188,009,171 the previous month, according to fresh figures released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and reported by This Day newspaper. The month-on-month increase of roughly 1.6 million lines suggests continued, if modest, expansion in a sector that underpins much of the country’s digital economy.
According to AllAfrica, MTN Nigeria retained its position as the country’s largest mobile network operator, with a subscriber base of 96.9 million. The figure underscores MTN’s dominance in Africa’s most populous nation, where mobile telephony remains the primary means of internet access for most households. Industry analysts have repeatedly pointed to MTN’s early-mover advantage and extensive network rollout as the foundation of its market leadership, though competition from Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile has intensified in recent years.
A regulator watching a saturated market
The NCC, the federal body tasked with licensing operators and supervising the telecoms industry, publishes monthly subscriber data on its official website. Nigeria’s telecoms landscape has matured significantly since the sector was liberalised in 2001, with penetration rates now well above 80 percent of the population. Subscriber growth in recent months has been driven less by first-time connections and more by the purchase of multiple SIM cards, the migration of users between networks, and the spread of feature phones and low-cost smartphones in rural areas.
Despite the rising headline figure, operators continue to grapple with the cost of doing business in Nigeria, where foreign-exchange shortages, multiple taxation by state governments, and the high cost of diesel to power base stations have weighed on profitability. The federal government has periodically intervened with policy measures aimed at lowering the cost of imported equipment and expanding the reach of broadband infrastructure, including the deployment of fibre across federal highways.
What the numbers mean
The latest NCC data places Nigeria firmly among the largest mobile markets on the continent, alongside South Africa and Egypt. With more than 189 million active lines serving a population of roughly 220 million, the country remains a focal point for investors in African telecoms, even as average revenue per user has trended downward amid fierce price competition. Operators are increasingly looking to mobile money, data services and enterprise contracts to offset the squeeze on voice revenues. Whether the gradual monthly growth recorded by the regulator can be sustained will depend in large part on macroeconomic stability and the pace of network investment in the months ahead.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
