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Despite a Steady Decline, Over 40% of Nigeria’s Mobile Users Still Rely on 2G
  • 2G is still widely used but has dropped significantly from 57.78% in January to 41.59% in December.
  • 4G has become the dominant mobile network in Nigeria, surpassing 2G by mid-2024 and maintaining a steady increase in market share.
  • 3G remains stable, averaging around 9% market share,
  • 5G adoption is slow but rising, increasing from 1.11% in January to 2.46% in December.

Instant messaging is the most pervasive activity among mobile internet users
  • Instant messaging leads with 94% usage, reflecting its role as the primary communication tool for Nigerians.
  • Social media is used by 91% of mobile internet users, but only 65% engage with it for business purposes, showing its dominance in personal interactions.
  • Online voice and video calls are highly popular, emphasising a shift toward real-time digital communication.
  • Only 45% access government services, while 41% use online health platforms, indicating gaps in essential digital services.
  • Agriculture-related internet use is the lowest at 25%, highlighting the rural digital divide and limited online resources for the sector.

9mobile has lost its appeal as the porting destination for Nigerian customers
  • Number porting in Nigeria has dropped significantly, with only 55k customers switching networks in 2024, continuing a multi-year decline.
  • MTN gained the most new customers in 2024, outperforming other networks in porting gains.
  • 9mobile, once the dominant choice for ported customers, has lost its appeal, with far fewer subscribers switching to the network in recent years.
  • Overall porting activity has slowed, suggesting improved customer retention or fewer incentives to switch providers.

80% of smartphones across the world are 4G enabled
  • 4G smartphones are the most popular globally.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has the smallest 4G smartphone adoption, with a 33% market share in the region.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest 5G market share of any region.
  • 5G smartphones are dominant in North America, the highest of any region.
  • Smartphone market share is reflective of income levels across regions.

MTN has moved from the most impacted by porting to being the least affected
  • 9mobile lost the most customers to porting in 2024, with 44.7k subscribers switching to other networks.
  • MTN, once the most affected by porting, now has the lowest losses at just 2.7k customers in 2024.
  • Airtel and Globacom had minimal losses in 2024, with 4.2k and 3.8k customers leaving respectively.
  • MTN previously saw massive porting losses, peaking at 125.5k in 2015, but has since improved drastically.
  • Porting losses have declined across all networks over time, except for 9mobile, which has seen a recent spike.

4G grows by 15% to overtake 2G as Nigeria’s leading mobile generation
  • The share of 2G has fallen from 60% to 42% in one year.
  • 4G has seen the largest increase among all mobile generations, making it the market leader.
  • 3G has shrunk by 0.5% points while 5G grew by 1.4% over the same period.

Nigeria recorded one of the lowest ARPUs among MTN Group’s markets
  • Two of the top five markets by ARPU are in its Southern African region.
  • Two of the top three markets by ARPU are units that are operating as joint ventures
  • Nine markets are less than the group's ARPU
  • Benin recorded the highest ARPU across its West African markets

MTN Group and Orange are present in more countries than any other telco in Africa
While several African nations have state-controlled telcos, some private operators have extended their presence across the continent. Notably, none operates in all countries on the continent. MTN Group and Orange are present in 17 countries, with MTN having a stronger presence in Southern Africa than Orange. Francophone West Africa and North Africa are Orange's primary markets.

86% of Nigerians aged 10+ in Nigeria’s North West lack Internet access
Nigerians aged 10 years and above in the South-South region have three times more access to the internet (42%) compared to those in the North-West (14%).

1GB of data in the US costs 15 times more than in Nigeria.
The cost of accessing the Internet isn't the same everywhere. In Switzerland, 1GB of mobile data costs $7.29, the most expensive globally, while Nigeria stands at just $0.38, which is 15 times less than the cost in the United States ($6.00). Meanwhile, Israel offers the cheapest deal at only $0.02 per GB. There is a more moderate global average at $2.59.

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