Nigeria’s telecommunications sector recorded further growth in April 2026 as active mobile subscriptions increased to 188.01 million, while broadband penetration rose to 55.67 per cent, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The latest industry statistics released by the commission showed that active telephony subscriptions rose to 188,009,171 in April from the previous month’s figure, raising the country’s teledensity to 86.73 per cent from 85.67 per cent recorded in March.
The report indicated sustained expansion in access to telecommunications services, driven by increasing demand for mobile voice and data services across the country.
According to the NCC, MTN Nigeria retained its position as the largest operator with 96,391,419 active subscribers, accounting for more than half of the country’s total mobile subscriptions.
Airtel Nigeria followed with 64,670,018 subscribers, while Globacom recorded 23,178,597 subscribers.
9mobile had 3,538,021 active subscribers during the period.
The commission’s data also showed continued migration by consumers to faster broadband technologies.
It said fourth-generation (4G) technology remained the dominant mobile network platform, accounting for 54.41 per cent of total network connections in April, up from 53.76 per cent in March.
Similarly, fifth-generation (5G) technology continued its steady growth, with market share increasing from 4.20 per cent in March to 4.34 per cent in April.
However, the share of second-generation (2G) subscriptions declined to 35.93 per cent from 36.74 per cent, reflecting a gradual shift away from legacy networks to higher-speed broadband services.
The report added that the third-generation (3G) segment remained relatively stable, accounting for 5.32 per cent of total connections compared with 5.30 per cent recorded in March.
It further showed that of the total subscriptions, 154,347,260 were on mobile GSM networks, while fixed wired internet subscriptions stood at 156,662.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services accounted for 220,166 subscriptions.
The NCC also reported significant growth in broadband subscriptions, which increased to 120,684,625 in April from 117,710,397 in March.
Consequently, broadband penetration improved to 55.67 per cent from 54.30 per cent recorded in the previous month.
The commission attributed the increase to continued investment in broadband infrastructure and growing adoption of high-speed internet services by households and businesses.
Despite the growth in broadband subscriptions, total internet data consumption declined slightly during the month.
According to the report, internet usage fell marginally to 1,414,848.70 terabytes (TB) in April from 1,422,764.54TB recorded in March.
The report suggested that while more Nigerians were gaining internet access, overall data consumption remained relatively stable.
The NCC noted that the telecommunications sector continued to play a critical role in the nation’s economy, contributing 9.19 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2026.
It added that sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, wider deployment of 5G networks and improved quality of service would further accelerate digital inclusion, innovation and economic growth in the country.
