Nigeria's mobile market has crossed a milestone worth talking about. As of September 2026, active mobile subscriptions reached 200.3 million, up 29% from two years prior. The figure marks a strong comeback after the NIN-SIM linkage policy enforcement in 2024 wiped out tens of millions of unverified lines, pushing active connections down from 224.7 million in 2023 to just 164.9 million in 2024. That was a loss of nearly 60 million connections in a single year.
The recovery is real, but it is not evenly spread. MTN and Airtel together hold about 86% of the market, with MTN sitting at 104.6 million active subscriptions and Airtel at 68 million. Globacom follows with 23.5 million, and T2 brings in 3.6 million. Two operators are essentially running the show, and that gap is widening.
One thing to keep in mind: 200 million subscriptions does not mean 200 million Nigerians each holding a phone. Many people carry multiple SIMs, and the count also includes lines powering routers and other connected devices. The NIN-SIM cleanup actually made the data more accurate, with the Nigerian Communications Commission noting it had to correct a significant discrepancy in one operator's subscriber figures.
Data consumption is climbing just as fast. Nigerians consumed 1.73 million terabytes in September 2026, a 51% jump year-on-year. But the network picture is mixed. 4G accounts for just over half of all connections at 54.37%, while 5G sits at a slim 5.05%. More than a third of connections still run on 2G. As subscriber numbers bounce back, the pressure is on for infrastructure to keep pace.
Originally published by TechCabal.