Nigeria’s active telephone subscriptions rose to 179.64 million by the end of December 2025, reflecting continued growth in mobile usage and surging demand for data services, according to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Gatekeepers News reports that the data showed that active mobile subscriptions increased from 177.43 million in November to 179.64 million in December, pushing national teledensity to 82.87 per cent. Teledensity, which measures the number of active telephone connections—both mobile and fixed—per 100 people, is a key indicator of telecom penetration, infrastructure development, and economic activity.
Market share data revealed MTN Nigeria maintained its lead with 93 million subscribers (51.87%), followed by Airtel Nigeria with 60.8 million users (33.9%). Globacom ranked third with 22.2 million subscribers (12.4%), while T2 (formerly 9mobile) closed the year with 3.22 million users (1.8%).
In terms of network technology, 4G connections dominated with 52.95% of total subscriptions, followed by 2G (37.37%), 3G (5.91%), and 5G (3.77%), which is now entering its fourth year of operation in Nigeria.
The report also highlighted a sharp rise in data consumption, with total data usage surpassing 13.2 million terabytes in 2025, reflecting Nigerians’ growing appetite for streaming, digital services, social media, and e-commerce.
Broadband adoption also continued to strengthen, with internet subscriptions rising to 112.67 million in December and broadband penetration reaching 51.97%, up from 50.58% in November.
The NCC said the figures underscore the telecommunications sector’s central role in Nigeria’s digital economy, with expanding connectivity, rising data usage, and increasing broadband adoption shaping consumption patterns and business activity nationwide.
