At the end of last year, some 4.75 million telecommunications users were cut-off from the networks in the country, according to the latest subscription statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday.
This appeared to be a carryover from what happened the previous year when over eight million telephone lines were cut off the network.
According to the latest subscription statistics, the December data showed that the country ended 2021 with 195.5 million active telephone lines. The country began 2021 with 200.2 million telephone users.
As at the period, the sector contended with the enrollment and verification of the National Identification Number (NIN) to Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards policy imposed by the Federal Government, weak consumer purchasing power and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). These challenges, combined with COVID-19, slowed subscribers capability at the time.
Specifically, the 200.2 million subscribers in January 2021 dropped to 196 million in February and further slumped to 192.4 million in March 2021.
By April, the figure dropped further to 188.7 million and to 187 million in May. By June, the figure moved up slightly to 187.6 million. In July 2021, NCC data showed that the number rose to 187.8 million and 189.3 million in August 189.3 million.
In Q4, 2021, the figures changed as more SIMs became activated. By last September, the country had 190.8 million users. It moved to 191.9 million in October and by November, operators gained over two million users to peak at 193.2 million and 195.5 million by the end of the year.
The country’s teledensity, which stood at 104.8 per cent as at the beginning of the year, dropped to 102.4 per cent by December 2021. Teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area. It varies widely across the nations and also between urban and rural areas within a country.
In the year, both broadband and narrowband Internet services also went down. Last year, Internet subscription via the narrowband dropped from 150.8 million in January to 141.6 million by December 2021. Broadband subscription also dropped from 81.9 million to 78 million within the period under review.
By the end of the year, MTN still retained its position as the largest operator in the country with 73.5 million users with 37.7 per cent market share, Globacom displaced Airtel to emerge second largest operator with 54.8 million users and 28 per cent reach.
With 53.9 million subscribers and 27.4 per cent penetration, Airtel is third, far ahead of 9mobile, which had 12.8 million users and 6.5 per cent market penetration.