Nigerians dump 9mobile as internet subscribers hit 115.9m

This is not the best of times for 9mobile as more Nigerians dumped the network providers for other telecom operators, latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission has revealed.

The internet subscribers’ statistics show that 9mobile has recorded a consistent decrease in two months. In just two months, the company lost 240,573 subscribers. This has caused its market share to drop. As at the end of March, 9mobile controls just 8 percent of total subscribers share, down from 9 percent.

According to the report, the total number of mobile internet subscribers in Nigeria reached 115.9 million in March 2019.

The report shows that in February this year, mobile internet subscribers stood at 114.7m, and then increased to 115.9m in March 2019. This implies that a total of 1.2 million new internet subscribers were recorded in March 2019.

The latest internet subscribers’ data also shows that telecoms giant, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, maintains a distant top with 46.5m subscribers. This is followed by Airtel (31.2m), and Globacom (28.4m).

ALSO READ: NCC launches 2nd phase of SIM registration verification, compliance audit

MTN Nigeria continues to be the leading telecom company with the highest number of internet subscribers. However, MTN‘s internet subscribers market share declined slightly in March when compared to the previous month.

Airtel ranks second with 31.2m internet subscribers, with 27 percent of total subscribers market share. In February, the company’s internet subscribers stood at 30.8m; increasing to 31.2 million in March.

On the other hand, Globacom bounced back from the decline witnessed in February by recording 28.4m subscribers in March; up from 27.4 million earlier recorded. This also implies that the company’s internet subscribers market share increased by 1 percent to 25 percent market share.

Visafone‘s internet subscribers data has just been included by the NCC, and available record shows that the company has recorded 64,076 subscribers. It has fewer internet subscribers market share.

According to the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, in the first quarter of 2019, the telecoms industry contributed N2 trillion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Therefore, as competition heightens in the industry, 9mobile and others would need to review their strategies in order to remain relevant.

The Acting Managing Director of 9mobile, Stephane Beulevet, recently hinted at the steps being taken by the telco in this regard.

“We need stability in the telecoms industry and we will do everything possible to protect the interest of both the 9mobile subscribers and its investors and ensure there is no disruption of services.”