Nigeria’s active mobile telephone subscriptions rose to 188.01 million in April 2026, according to new industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The report showed continued growth in telecommunications usage across the country, with broadband subscriptions climbing to 120.68 million and teledensity increasing to 86.73 per cent.
Globacom accounted for 23.18 million active subscribers, maintaining its position as one of the country’s major telecommunications operators. Industry analysts attributed the growth partly to the completion of subscriber verification exercises and the cleanup of inactive SIM registrations.
Experts say competition among telecom operators is increasingly shifting from subscriber acquisition to broadband expansion, network quality and customer retention.
Despite the encouraging figures, millions of Nigerians continue to complain about poor service quality, dropped calls and rising data costs. Consumer groups have repeatedly urged regulators to enforce stricter service standards and hold operators accountable for network failures.
The NCC has maintained that investments in infrastructure and regulatory reforms will improve service delivery over time. However, many subscribers remain concerned that connectivity growth has not been matched by corresponding improvements in reliability and affordability across the telecommunications sector.
