Nigeria's internet consumption experienced a notable decline in September 2024, marking the first drop since February of the same year.
According to the latest report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), data usage fell to 850,249.09 terabytes, a decrease of 0.82% from August's figure of 853,954.05 terabytes.
This decline coincided with a reduction in the subscriber base across the country, largely attributed to the recent verification of National Identification Numbers (NIN) linked to SIM cards. As a result, major telecom operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile—deactivated approximately 64.3 million lines.
The impact of this verification exercise was particularly pronounced for Globacom and 9mobile. Globacom's active subscriptions plummeted from 62.1 million in March to just 19.1 million by the end of September, losing around 43 million lines.
Similarly, 9mobile's subscriber count dropped from 11.6 million to 3.6 million during the same period.
Overall, the telecommunications industry now reports 154.6 million active subscriptions as of September, down from 219 million in March.
Despite these losses, MTN maintained its position as market leader with 78 million active subscriptions, although it also faced a loss of 3.7 million users due to the verification process. Airtel ended September with 53.7 million subscribers, down from 63.3 million in March.
On a brighter note, Nigeria's adoption of 5G technology continues to progress steadily, with penetration rising to 2.19% in September, up from 2.12% in August and reflecting growing interest in high-speed internet services.
