The Nigerian Communications Commission has stated that active mobile line subscriptions increased from 206 million in June 2022 to 222 million by December 2022.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, its Executive Vice Chairman, said this during the 2023 edition of the Youth, Civil Society, and Stakeholder Summit on reducing the destruction and vandalism of telecoms and other key national infrastructure in Nigeria.
Danbatta also stated that his commission, in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission, is working to ensure free, fair, and credible elections through the use of digital platforms.
He stated that based on subscription statistics, it was apparent that the telecom markets continued to grow due to increased infrastructure, network capacity, and digital economy platforms, among other things.
Danbatta, who was represented by Principal Manager, of the Department of Technical Standards, Chukwuma Nwenwu, stated that the summit became necessary due to Nigeria’s preparations for the general elections, in which digital platforms will play critical roles.
He stated that vandalism of telecoms infrastructure has remained a source of worry for all stakeholders, as reports from mobile network operators on the effects of vandalism on their operations around the country are received.
Despite the implementation of the Federal Government’s National Identification Number-Subscriber Identity Module policy, the number of mobile subscriptions in Nigeria increased to 222.23 million in 2022.
Over 72.77 million active telecommunications subscribers were prevented from making calls when the policy went into effect in April. However, the industry has since recovered and expanded by 13.89 percent in 2022.
The overall number of subscriptions increased from 195.13 million in December 2021 to 222.23 million in December 2022, according to new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
This increase represented a complete reversal of the decrease that afflicted the telecoms industry in 2021, when the overall number of mobile subscriptions fell by 4.42 percent from 204.15 million in December 2020 to 195.13 million in December 2021.
Nigeria has the largest mobile population in Africa, and its youth population is likely to rise further.
According to Groupe Speciale Mobile Association, the global trade association for telecommunications companies, 18 million new Nigerians will become unique mobile users by 2025.
Ajibola Olude, Chief Operating Officer of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, attributed the increase in mobile subscriptions in 2022 to greater use of Internet of Things devices and a united government effort.