Nigeria’s active mobile subscriptions hit 200 million after NIN-SIM purge
Nigeria’s active mobile subscriptions rose 29% in two years to 200.3 million in September 2026, recovering from the sharp decline that followed the enforcement of the National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage policy.
The rebound, however, remains concentrated among two operators, with MTN and Airtel accounting for about 86% of active connections, leaving Globacom and T2 with a much smaller share of the market.
MTN had 104.6 million active subscriptions in September, while Airtel had 68 million. They collectively accounted for about 172.7 million out of the 200.1 million recorded across the four operators. Globacom had 23.5 million, while T2 had 3.6 million, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The 200 million mobile subscriptions refer to active phone lines, not that 200 million people own or use mobile phones. One person can have multiple SIM cards, and active connections also include SIMs used in routers and other devices.
The figure marks a new milestone since the full enforcement of NIN-SIM linkage in 2024, which led to a sharp reduction in reported connections. The policy required mobile subscribers to link their phone lines to verified national identity numbers. The policy was introduced in 2020, but its enforcement intensified in 2024 as operators completed the verification and disconnection of lines without valid NIN records.
In its 2024 year-end performance report, the NCC said active subscriptions fell from 224.7 million in 2023 to 164.9 million in 2024, a loss of 59.8 million connections or 26.6%. The commission attributed the decline to removing SIM cards not linked to verifiable NINs and correcting a major discrepancy in one mobile network operator’s subscriber figures.
By August 2024, the regulator said more than 153 million SIM cards were linked to NINs, representing 96% compliance. It subsequently set September 14, 2024, as the final deadline for operators to complete the exercise.
Rising mobile subscriptions
The rise in mobile subscriptions has also been accompanied by higher data consumption, which grew by about 51% year-on-year in September 2026 to 1.73 million terabytes. However, the shift towards faster networks remains uneven. 4G accounted for 54.37% of mobile connections, while 5G represented just 5.05%. Older technologies, 2G and 3G, still accounted for 36.42% and 4.16%, respectively.
As demand for connectivity grows, the NCC’s figures also show an expansion in fixed broadband infrastructure. Fibre-to-the-X subscriptions, which cover connections to homes, offices, streets and hubs, increased by about 67% between the first and third quarters of 2026, pointing to growth in fibre access beyond mobile networks.
These developments come as telecommunications accounts for a larger share of Nigeria’s economic activity. The sector contributed 9.72% to GDP in the second quarter of 2026, up from 9.20% in the corresponding period of 2025. The NCC noted that figures for late 2024 and early 2025 were affected by the National Bureau of Statistics’ GDP rebasing.
Crédito: Link de origem