Nigeria’s active telecom subscriptions increased by 44.8 million over the past decade, rising from 150.3 million in July 2016 to 195.1 million in July 2026, according to analyses of data from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The 29.8 per cent increase highlights the long-term expansion of Nigeria’s telecommunications market despite periods of sharp contraction, including a steep decline in 2024 linked to the enforcement of the National Identification Number-SIM linkage requirements.
The decade-long growth was marked by periods of rapid expansion, temporary declines and a major contraction in 2024, when the industry lost more than 54 million active subscriptions following the enforcement of the National Identification Number-SIM linkage requirements.
The regulator’s data showed that subscriptions fell from 220.72 million in July 2023 to 166.66 million a year later, representing a decline of 54.06 million, or 24.5 per cent.
The 2023 figure was the highest July subscription level recorded in the 10-year series. The decline came after the telecom regulator intensified enforcement of the NIN-SIM linkage policy, leading to the disconnection of lines that had not met the required verification conditions.
