9mobile has lost 13.2 million Internet subscribers in seven years after its peaking in April 2016
In the past seven years, 9mobile has experienced a consistent decline in its Internet subscriber base, with an average loss of 134k subscribers monthly since June 2016. This decline began after it reached 17.2 million subscribers — its highest ever — in April 2016. As of July 2023, 9mobile's Internet subscriber count was 3.9m. MTN had the largest share (68.1m) of Nigeria's 159m Internet subscribers as of July 2023. Glo and Airtel had almost equal shares, with 43.9m and 42.9m subscribers, respectively.
With a median mobile download speed of 441.89 Mbps, the UAE is in a league of its own, setting a high benchmark for digital infrastructure globally.
At just 18.91 Mbps, Nigeria ranks 102nd, only narrowly ahead of countries like Ecuador and Libya. This means the digital experience for most Nigerians is significantly slower than the global average.
The difference between the fastest and slowest countries spans over 400 Mbps, showing a growing divide in how nations can participate in digital economies.
Countries like Denmark, South Korea, Norway, and the Netherlands continue to show strong mobile connection.
It's notable that Qatar and Kuwait, alongside the UAE, are not just energy-rich but also leaders in mobile connectivity.
Several African nations, Nigeria, Libya, and Mozambique, feature among the slowest, highlighting the urgent need for investment in faster, more reliable mobile networks across the continent.
Between 1995 and 2000, internet users jumped from 39.4 million to 394 million, a 900% leap that marked the beginning of the digital era.
Just 14 years after the first website, over 1 billion people were online, showing how quickly the internet became essential.
Between 2010 and 2015, internet usage grew by 54.5%, slower than before but still powerful, especially in developing regions coming online.
With 5.6 billion users in January 2025, most of the world is now online, and future growth will be more about improving access, speed, and quality than just connecting new people.
Each phase had its catalyst. In the 1990s, it was websites and email. The 2000s brought broadband and Google. In the 2010s, it was smartphones. Now, it's AI, 5G, and IoT that are quietly shaping the future of internet use.
