Active mobile phone lines in Nigeria rose by 1.2 per cent month-on-month as of October.
There is also a 12.0 per cent increase, year-on-year to 214.7 million in the same period, according to latest data from the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC),.
In contrast, total internet connections were flat month-on-month at 152.7 million.
This figure represents a teledensity of c.107 per cent.
IT also represents an internet penetration rate of c.76.4 per dent based on a population of 200 million.
The communications sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the nation’s economy.
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Its data series is also one of the few available indicators of consumption patterns.
The steady growth in active mobile subscribers has seen network operators gaining 20 million new subscribers since the beginning of the year.
According to the NCC data, 2,790 mobile subscribers moved from one service provider to another via mobile number portability (MNP).
The major beneficiaries were MTN Nigeria and Globacom with porter additions of c.1,925 and c.363 respectively.
In terms of market share dynamics, in October, MTN Nigeria had the largest share (38.9 per cent) with 83.3 subscribers.
Globacom and Airtel came second and third, with active subscriber shares of 27.8 per cent and 27.4 per cent respectively.
9Mobile accounted for a paltry market share of 6.0 per cent.
As part of Nigeria’s 5G technology deployment plan, the NCC recently announced Airtel as the sole bidder for the remaining 3.5GHz spectrum license.
The 3.5GHz spectrum license is required for the deployment of 5G services.
required for the deployment of 5G services.
Last year, the commission issued 5G licences to two telecommunication companies, MTN Nigeria and Mafab communications.
While MTN had deployed the first 5G network, Mafab communications plans to roll out its own in January 2023.
According to Ericksson’s latest mobility report, Nigeria and South Africa are projected to drive the growth of 5G connections in Sub-Saharan Africa to 150 million by 2028.
In terms of its economic impact, the deployment of 5G will further boost economic growth by enhancing the growth possibilities of businesses in the fintech, e-commerce and payment sectors.
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