TheCable

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the number of active voice subscribers in Nigeria increased to 224.71 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.

This, according to NBS, is more than the 222.57 million subscribers recorded in the same period in 2022 and represents an increase of 0.96 percent.

In its latest telecoms data released on Friday, the agency said active voice subscribers increased by 1.32 percent (on a quarter-on-quarter basis) from the 221,769,883 recorded in Q3 2023.

The report also said a total of 163,838,439 active internet subscribers were recorded in Q4 of 2023 compared to the 154,847,901 reported in Q4 of 2022.

“This represents a 5.81 percent increase in active internet subscriptions year-on-year,” the report reads.

“While on a quarter-on-quarter basis, active internet subscribers grew by 2.29 per cent from the 160,171,125 recorded in Q3 of 2023.”

On state-by-state analysis, the bureau said Lagos had the highest number of active voice subscribers in Q4 2023, with 26,739,346, followed by Ogun (13,070,779) and Kano (12,325,633).

“On the other hand, Bayelsa still recorded the least number of 1,557,786 voice subscribers, followed by Zamfara and Gombe with 2,772,424 and 2,785,030, respectively,” NBS added.

“Similarly, Lagos state had the highest number of active internet subscribers in Q4 2023 with 18,927,446, followed by Ogun with 9,570,463 and Kano with 9,031,581.

“Likewise, Bayelsa recorded the least active internet subscribers with 1,193,525, followed by Zamfara and Gombe with 1,959,252 and 2,100,073 respectively. However, MTN maintains its status as the telecommunication service provider with the highest share of subscriptions in Q4 2023.

The report added that MTN Nigeria had the highest share of subscriptions in Q4 2023.

NBS said the South African telecom giant recorded 87 million active voice subscribers in the quarter examined; followed by Airtel, (61.6 million), Globacom (61.6 million), and 9mobile (19.9 million).

The data bureau, however, said for internet data subscribers, MTN topped with 70 million. While Airtel recorded 45 million, Globacom and 9mobile got 43 million, and 3 million subscribers respectively.

On January 31, 2024, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said the country’s teledensity dropped from 115.63 percent in August 2023, to 102.97 percent in November 2023.

The regulator, however, said there was a steady increase in active voice and internet subscriptions across the country within the period.