Nigeria’s telecommunications sector recorded a strong rebound in November 2025, adding 2.1 million active voice subscriptions to reach a total of 177.4 million, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The 1.2 per cent month-on-month increase from October’s 175.3 million subscriptions represents one of the strongest monthly gains of the year, signalling recovery after regulatory-driven contractions earlier in 2025. The growth was largely driven by Nigeria’s two dominant operators, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria.
MTN and Airtel together accounted for approximately 1.67 million of the new connections. MTN, the market leader, added 857,594 subscribers to close November with 91.9 million active lines, retaining a 51.9 per cent market share. Airtel followed with 809,550 new subscribers, raising its base to 59.8 million and securing a 33.8 per cent share. Combined, the two operators control more than 85 per cent of Nigeria’s mobile voice market.
Other operators recorded modest gains. Globacom added 381,173 subscribers to reach 22.2 million users, representing a 12.5 per cent market share, while T2 (formerly 9mobile) added 56,668 lines, bringing its total to 3.2 million subscribers with a 1.8 per cent share.
Fixed-line services continued to play a negligible role, reinforcing Nigeria’s status as a predominantly mobile-first market.
The November recovery followed a volatile period for the sector. Active subscriptions fell sharply to around 169 million in July 2025 after the NCC intensified enforcement of SIM–NIN linkage requirements, disconnecting millions of unverified lines to improve security and data integrity. Similar clean-up exercises in 2024 had already reduced inflated subscriber figures, pushing teledensity from above 100 per cent to the mid-70s.
With the November increase, teledensity rebounded to 81.8 per cent, based on a projected population of 217 million, indicating renewed consumer demand and stronger acquisition strategies by operators.
Industry observers attributed the rebound to aggressive promotional offers, wider 4G network expansion, and seasonal demand ahead of the festive period.
