Nigeria’s internet consumption fell in September 2024, the first decline since February 2024.
This is according to the latest industry statistics report by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Data usage in September decreased to 850,249.09 terabytes, a decrease of just 0.82% from the 853,954.05 terabytes recorded in August.
This decline coincided with a decline in the domestic subscriber base in September.
The decline in the number of contracts across carriers is primarily due to the recent validation of national identification numbers associated with SIM cards.
As a result, four major carriers – MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile – suspended a total of 64.3 million lines.
The NCC report revealed that the verification exercise, which ended on September 14, had a particularly significant impact on Globacom and 9mobile.
Globacom had 62.1 million active subscribers in March, but ended September with just 19.1 million subscribers, shedding a massive 43 million lines.
Similarly, 9mobile’s subscriber base declined from 11.6 million in March to 3.6 million by September, a loss of about 8 million subscribers.
The industry had 154.6 million active subscriptions as of September 2024, down from 219 million reported in March.
Despite the cuts, MTN maintained market leadership with 78 million active subscriptions, but also lost 3.7 million users during validation.
Second place Airtel had 53.7 million contracts at the end of September, down from 63.3 million in March. This reflects a decline of 9.6 million contracts over the six-month period.
Meanwhile, 5G deployment in Nigeria continues to show steady progress. The penetration rate rose to 2.19% in September, compared to 2.12% in August and 1.95% in July, highlighting the growing interest in high-speed technology.
