Despite a Steady Decline, Over 40% of Nigeria’s Mobile Users Still Rely on 2G

Key takeaways:

  • 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.

Despite the rise of 4G and 5G, 2G still holds a significant share of Nigeria's mobile market, holding over 40% market share throughout 2024. However, its steady decline suggests that more users are transitioning to faster networks. While 3G usage remains relatively stable, 4G is growing at a strong pace, indicating that more Nigerians are upgrading their mobile technology. 5G adoption is still low but gradually increasing, crossing 2% market share in August 2024.

Source:

Nigerian Communications Commission

Period:

2024
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Monthly internet data consumption in Nigeria (2024)
Key takeaways:  
  • Nigeria’s internet data usage increased from 721,522 TB in January to 973,455.35 TB in December, reflecting a 35% growth over the year.
  • The peak in consumption occurred in December 2024, while January 2024 recorded the lowest usage.
  • Despite a consistent upward trend during the year, a decline in internet usage was observed in February (694,804.54 TB) and September (850,249.09 TB).
  • The most significant jump in Nigeria's internet consumption was observed between November and December, with an increase of approximately 95,000 TB.
  • Throughout 2024, Nigeria experienced an average monthly increase of about 23,000 TB.
  • Nigeria's total internet data consumption reached 9.76 million terabytes (TB) in 2024, representing a 34% increase compared to 2023.
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.
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