THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has released new industry statistics indicating a rise in mobile subscriptions by 4.61 million to hit 226.84 million in 2022.
According to data from the regulatory body, in February 2023, the total number of mobile subscriptions rose to 226.84 million from the 225.88 million that was recorded in January 2022.
NCC records show that MTN continues to be the largest telecom provider with 92.71 million mobile subscriptions, followed by Globacom with 60.76 million, Airtel with 60.30 million, and 9mobile with 13.07 million.
Teledensity, which refers to the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants living within an area, rose to 119.01 per cent in February, according to the NCC.
Mobile Internet subscriptions also grew to 156.42 million, with broadband penetration rising to 48.49 per cent and subscriptions hitting 92.56 million, marking a significant increase in the number of people using mobile devices to access the Internet.
According to the Chief Operating Officer of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Ajibola Olude, the growth of mobile subscriptions can be attributed to individuals’ increasing reliance on the Internet.
“A lot of things are connected to the Internet, and they need SIMs. Asides from that, at the federal and state level, there is serious awareness of the need to adopt ICT,” Olude was quoted by Punch Newspaper as saying.
“Many services have moved online, and don’t forget that the CBN is pursuing a cashless economy which means that there is a need to probably use an internet-enabled phone.”
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