Nigeria’s mobile internet subscriptions falls to 158.8m in August – NCC

9mobile, one of Nigeria’s mobile network operators remains the biggest loser in August as Nigeria’s mobile internet subscription fell to 158.8 million from the 159.5 million recorded in July 2023.

Data from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) also revealed that the decline is coming at this time despite a noticeable rise in Internet usage to 655,879.86 terabytes in the month of August 2023.

In August, 507,621 mobile subscriptions were lost month-on-month, but Internet usage grew by 6.61 per cent to 655,879.86 from 615,207.39 as of July 2023, the Commission said.

According to the latest industry statistics released by NCC, 9mobile is the biggest loser in August, recording a decline of 11.63 per cent of internet subscriptions to 3.51 million.

MTN Nigeria lost 0.063 per cent of its mobile Internet subscriptions to fall to 68.03 million subscriptions. Globacom fell by 0.064 per cent to 43.97 million while Airtel fell by 0.071 per cent to 42.96 million.

The NCC data also showed that broadband penetration fell to 45.57 per cent in the month under review despite an ongoing implementation of the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025).

Nigeria’s broadband penetration has recorded setbacks in 2023, despite a national plan to hit 50 per cent before the end of the year.

Broadband refers to high-speed Internet connection, and broadband penetration is measured by the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Increasing Internet penetration is critical to increasing jobs and reducing poverty.