Q3 Telecom Subscribers Surge to 221.7 Million, Reports National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Nigeria reported that during the third quarter of 2023, 2,504 subscribers of 9mobile switched to other telecommunication service providers. The data revealed that 9mobile experienced the highest number of subscribers leaving, followed by Airtel with 370, MTN with 325, and Globacom with 200.

Conversely, 2,342 subscribers ported into MTN, making it the highest gainer, followed by Airtel with 784, Globacom with 191, and 9mobile with 68 new subscribers.

The report also highlighted the total number of active voice subscribers in Q3 2023 as 221,769,883, showing a growth rate of 4.51% compared to Q3 2022. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, there was a 0.76% increase. Additionally, the total number of active internet subscribers in Q3 2023 was 160,171,125, marking a 4.83% increase from Q3 2022. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the growth was 0.42%.

Lagos State led in both active voice and internet subscribers, with 27,043,333 and 19,188,745, respectively, in Q3 2023. MTN held the highest share of subscriptions with 85,854,576 active voice subscribers and 68,573,680 active internet subscribers, followed by Globacom and Airtel.

These statistics reflect the dynamic nature of the telecommunications market in Nigeria and the continuous fluctuations in subscriber preferences among the major providers.