Telecom subscriptions rise to 188 million as broadband penetration reaches 55.67%

By Juliet Umeh

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector continued its upward trend in April 2026, with active mobile subscriptions climbing to 188.01 million and broadband penetration reaching 55.67 percent.

These figures come from the latest data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Active telephony subscriptions rose to 188,009,171 in April, pushing the country’s teledensity to 86.73 percent, up from 85.67 percent in March.

The numbers show ongoing growth in access to telecom services, driven by increasing demand for mobile voice and data across the nation.

An analysis of the subscriber base revealed that MTN Nigeria retained its leadership position with 96,391,419 active subscribers, representing more than half of all mobile subscriptions in the country.

Airtel Nigeria followed with 64,670,018 subscribers, while Globacom accounted for 23,178,597. 9mobile and T‑Mobile recorded 3,538,021 active subscribers during the period.

The NCC data also highlighted the continued migration of users to faster broadband technologies.

In April, 4G remained the dominant mobile technology, accounting for 54.41 percent of all network connections, up from 53.76 percent in March.

5G adoption also gained momentum, with its market share increasing from 4.20 percent in March to 4.34 percent in April.

Conversely, the share of 2G subscriptions fell to 35.93 percent from 36.74 percent, underscoring the gradual shift away from legacy networks toward higher‑speed broadband services.

The 3G segment stayed largely unchanged, representing 5.32 percent of total connections compared with 5.30 percent in the previous month.

The commission further disclosed that total internet subscriptions stood at 154,724,088 in April.

Of these, 154,347,260 subscriptions came from mobile GSM networks, while fixed‑wired internet subscriptions totaled 156,662. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services accounted for 220,166 subscriptions.

Broadband subscriptions also saw significant growth during the month, rising to 120,684,625 from 117,710,397 in March.

Consequently, broadband penetration improved from 54.30 percent to 55.67 percent, reflecting continued investment in broadband infrastructure and increased adoption of high‑speed internet services by consumers and businesses.

However, despite the rise in internet and broadband subscriptions, total internet data consumption dipped slightly.

Internet usage fell marginally to 1,414,848.70 terabytes (TB) in April from 1,422,764.54 TB in March, indicating that while more Nigerians are online, overall data consumption remained relatively stable during the period.

Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector continued to make a substantial contribution to the Nigerian economy, accounting for 9.19 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2026.

These latest figures reinforce the sector’s strategic role in driving Nigeria’s digital economy, with industry stakeholders emphasizing that sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, wider 5G deployment, and improved quality of service will further accelerate digital inclusion, innovation, and economic growth.