Nigeria’s internet usage declines amid subscriber base challenges and NIN-SIM policy impact

• Nigeria’s internet consumption declined for the first time in seven months
• The NIN-SIM linkage and low subscriber base contributed to the decline
• The NCC report shows an uptick in the adoption of 5G technology in September

Nigeria’s internet consumption dropped from 694,804.54 terabytes (TB) in February 2024 to 850,249.09 TB in September 2024, the first decline in seven months.

According to the latest industry statistics report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the September decline is 0.82 per cent lower than the 853,954.05 terabytes recorded in August.

The country used 753,388.77 TB of data in March, 766,708.12 TB in April, 771,993.56 TB in May, 798,583.81 TB in June and 829,584.47 TB in July.

The report also highlighted the increased adoption of 5G technology and interest in high-speed technology and connectivity. The adoption figures rose to 2.19 per cent in September from 2.12 per cent in August and 1.95 per cent in July.

NIN-SIM linkage played part in internet usage decline

The seven-month decline in data usage comes at a time when the country’s subscriber base decreased, which may not be unconnected with the recent verification of National Identification Numbers linked with SIM cards undertaken by telcos.

The NIN-SIM card linkage, which was concluded on September 14, had the four major telcos in Nigeria deactivate 64.3 million lines.

The report by NCC noted that of the four major telcos in the country, the NIN-SIM linkage exercise had impacted Globacom and 9mobuke the most. At the end of the exercise, Globacom, with 62.1 million active subscriptions in March, lost 43 million lines and only has 19.1 million subscribers currently.

On the other hand, 9mobile’s subscription base dropped from 11.6 million to 3.6 million, losing eight million subscribers to the verification exercise.

The report further noted that active subscriptions in the telecommunications industry decreased from 219 million subscriptions reported in March 2024 to 154.6 million as of September 2024.

Of the remaining active subscribers, MTN still retains the lead in the industry with 78 million active subscriptions, though it also lost 3.7 million users during the verification exercise.

Second-placed Airtel has 53.7 million subscriptions as of September 2024, a decrease from the 63.3 million it had in March, representing a loss of 9.6 million subscriptions over six months.

120 million Nigerians lack access to the internet due to infrastructural gaps –Report

 Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that according to GSMA’s State of Mobile Connectivity Report 2024, half of Nigeria’s population (120 million) lacks access to mobile internet due to infrastructural gaps.