The number of mobile subscriptions in Nigeria increased to 222.23 million in 2022, despite the implementation of the Federal Government’s National Identification Number-Subscriber Identity Module policy. When the policy began in April, over 72.77 million active telecommunication subscriptions were temporarily barred from making calls. However, the industry quickly rebounded, achieving a growth rate of 13.89 percent in 2022. According to new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the total number of subscriptions rose from 195.13 million in December 2021 to 222.23 million in December 2022. This growth marked a significant recovery from the decline experienced in 2021, when mobile subscriptions fell by 4.42 percent from 204.15 million in December 2020 to 195.13 million in December 2021.
During the review period, individual telecom companies also reported substantial growth. MTN Nigeria saw an increase of 20.96 percent, growing from 73.59 million to 89.02 million subscriptions. Airtel experienced an 11.38 percent rise, moving from 53.93 million to 60.07 million. Globacom’s subscriptions grew by 9.98 percent, from 54.82 million to 60.29 million, while 9mobile had a modest increase of 0.49 percent, declining slightly from 12.85 million to 12.79 million. In 2022, Nigeria’s teledensity, which measures the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants, reached 116.60 percent, the highest on record. As the largest mobile population in Africa, Nigeria’s growth is expected to continue, particularly due to its substantial youth demographic. According to GSMA, the global body representing telecommunications companies, an additional 18 million Nigerians are projected to become unique mobile subscribers by 2025.
Ajibola Olude, the Chief Operating Officer of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, attributed the growth in mobile subscriptions in 2022 to the rising usage of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and collaborative government efforts. He noted, “Many factors were responsible for the growth of the sector in 2022. IoT and robotics need SIMs to be able to work because they are
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