MTN hits over 90m active subscriptions

MTN Nigeria has cemented its leadership in the country’s telecommunications sector, crossing the 90 million active subscriber marks as of March 2025, according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The NCC report indicates that total mobile subscriptions across Nigeria’s four major operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile—rose to 172.4 million in March.

MTN maintained its dominant position, accounting for 52.48 per cent of total market share with 90.4 million active connections.

Airtel Nigeria followed with 58.2 million subscriptions, translating to 33.78 per cent of the market. Globacom, in third place, reported 20.7 million subscribers, controlling 12.01 per cent of the market.

Lagging far behind, 9mobile recorded only 2.8 million subscriptions, representing a meager 1.72 per cent share.

The operator’s subscriber base remained unchanged between February and March 2025, pointing to a complete halt in both new activations and customer exits for the month.

Industry observers say the latest figures confirm a post-NIN-SIM recovery phase, led by aggressive customer re-engagement strategies by dominant players like MTN and Airtel.

Telecom analyst Sola Bankole noted, “MTN’s growth past the 90 million mark is a testament to brand resilience and strategic market capture following the SIM registration fallout. Airtel’s steady position also shows it has maintained user loyalty.”

On 9mobile’s stagnation, Bankole added: “The static subscriber count and porting issues suggest deeper operational and reputational challenges. Resolving technical hitches alone won’t be enough—they need a full-scale turnaround plan.”

With the industry showing signs of stability and growth, attention will likely shift to improving network quality, deepening broadband penetration, and resolving long-standing consumer dissatisfaction—especially as 5G infrastructure and digital transformation initiatives accelerate across the country.