By Juliet Umeh
Nigeria’s telecommunications industry sustained its growth trajectory in April 2026, with active mobile subscriptions rising to 188.01 million and broadband penetration reaching 55.67 percent.
This is according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
The data showed that active telephony subscriptions increased to 188,009,171 in April from the previous month, pushing the country’s teledensity to 86.73 percent, up from 85.67 percent recorded in March.
The figures indicate continued expansion in access to telecommunications services, driven by growing demand for mobile voice and data services across the country.
An analysis of the subscriber base showed that MTN Nigeria maintained leadership position with 96,391,419 active subscribers, representing more than half of Nigeria’s total mobile subscriptions.
Airtel Nigeria followed with 64,670,018 subscribers, while Globacom accounted for 23,178,597 subscribers. 9mobile, T2, recorded 3,538,021 active subscribers during the period.
The NCC data also reflected the ongoing migration of subscribers to faster broadband technologies.
According to the report, 4G remained the dominant mobile technology, accounting for 54.41 percent of all network connections in April, up from 53.76 percent in March.
Similarly, 5G adoption continued to gather momentum, with its market share increasing from 4.20 per cent in March to 4.34 per cent in April.
In contrast, the share of 2G subscriptions declined to 35.93 percent from 36.74 percent, highlighting the gradual shift by consumers from legacy networks to higher-speed broadband services.
The 3G segment remained largely unchanged, accounting for 5.32 per cent of total connections, compared with 5.30 per cent in the previous month.
The commission further disclosed that total internet subscriptions stood at 154,724,088 in April.
Of the figure, 154,347,260 subscriptions came from mobile GSM networks, while fixed-wired internet subscriptions totaled 156,662. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services accounted for 220,166 subscriptions.
Broadband subscriptions also recorded significant growth during the month, increasing to 120,684,625 from 117,710,397 recorded in March.
Consequently, broadband penetration improved from 54.30 percent to 55.67 percent, reflecting continued investment in broadband infrastructure and increased adoption of high-speed internet services by consumers and businesses.
However, despite the increase in internet and broadband subscriptions, total internet data consumption declined slightly.
Internet usage dropped marginally to 1,414,848.70 terabytes (TB) in April from 1,422,764.54TB recorded in March, suggesting that while more Nigerians are coming online, overall data consumption remained relatively stable during the period.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector continued to make a substantial contribution to the Nigerian economy, accounting for 9.19 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in the first quarter of 2026.
The latest figures reinforce the sector’s strategic role in driving Nigeria’s digital economy, with industry stakeholders maintaining that sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, wider 5G deployment and improved quality of service will further accelerate digital inclusion, innovation and economic growth.
