MTN Nigeria's profits plunged in Q2 and Q3 2023, contrasting with prior strong performances

In Q2 2023, MTN Nigeria made 71% less profit than it did in Q1 2023, with PBT dropping from ₦156b to ₦45b. It then declined further by 28% to ₦32 billion in Q3. Here are the telco's profits before tax since Q1 2019.

Source:

MTN

Period:

Q1 2019 - Q3 2023
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Uganda and Mauritius offer Africa’s cheapest 1GB data at $0.02 while Madagascar ranks highest in the top 20 at $0.32
  • Uganda and Mauritius offer the most affordable mobile data in Africa, with 1GB for just $0.02 over a 30-day period.
  • Comoros, Ghana, and South Africa also rank among the cheapest, each offering 1GB of data for $0.07 to $0.10.
  • Nigeria is among the top 10, with a relatively low cost of $0.13 per 1GB, placing it below the continental average.
  • Madagascar, at $0.32 per 1GB, closes out the top 20, which reflects the upper boundary of affordable data across African nations.
Globacom’s average internet subscriber base fell by almost 64% in 2025, down to 15.8 million from its 2023 peak
  • MTN remains the market leader, growing from 26 million subscribers in 2013 to 75 million by early 2025.
  • MTN's market share was 53.10% in early 2025, with over 75 million active data subscribers.
  • Airtel saw consistent growth, rising from 8.2 million in 2013 to 48.7 million in 2025, now commanding over 34% market share.
  • Globacom’s data subscriber base peaked in 2023 at 43.7 million but fell sharply by 2025 to 15.8 million.
  • 9mobile's market share in 2025 dropped to just 1.29% from its 2016 peak of 16.31%.
  • Globacom’s market share dropped significantly from its peak of 29.27% in 2017 to 11.16% in 2025.
  • Airtel doubled its market share from 18% in 2013 to 34% in 2025.
  • 9mobile's data subscriber base crashed by 88% from its 2016 peak to less than 2 million in 2025.
4G now accounts for about half of Nigeria’s mobile network market as of April 2025; 5G grows slowly
Key Takeaways:
  • The Nigerian subscribers' preference trend shows their acceptance of faster networks.
  • 2G's market share dropped significantly from 58.36% in May 2023 to 39.67% in April 2025.
  • 4G adoption rose steadily from 25.06% to 49.27% within the same period.
  • 5G adoption increased by nearly 23-fold from 0.12% to 2.81%, showing the strongest growth rate in the same period.
  • A major transition occurred around May 2024 when 4G adoption jumped from 34% to 43%.
  • 3G gradually declined from 16.46% in May 2023 to 8.25% in April 2025.
Globacom's internet subscriber base dropped by an average of nearly 64% in 2025 to 15.8 million from its 2023 peak
Key Takeaways:
  • MTN remains the market leader, growing from an average of 26 million subscribers in 2013 to an average of 75 million by early 2025.
  • The average active data subscribers for MTN was over 75 million in early 2025.
  • Airtel saw consistent growth, rising from 8.2 million in 2013 to 48.7 million in 2025, on average.
  • Globacom’s average data subscriber base peaked in 2023 at 43.7 million but fell sharply by 2025 to 15.8 million.
  • 9mobile's average data subscriber base in 2025 dropped to just 1.8 million from its 2016 peak of 15.2 million.
In 2025, 9mobile only added 1-3 new members each month through porting, compared to a peak of 324 in 2022, representing an almost 100% reduction
Key Takeaways:
  • In June 2022, 9mobile recorded a peak of 324 port-ins.
  • The lowest port-in figure during the period was recorded in February 2025, with only one subscriber.
  • In June 2021, 9mobile received 191 new ported-in users, which decreased to 3 by April 2025.
  • Monthly port-in numbers have been progressively dropping, from a three-digit to a single-digit level by 2025.
  • A slight recovery was observed in May 2024 (226), but it was not sustained.
  • By early 2025, port-ins dropped to as low as 1-3 per month.
  • This trend is consistent with a sharp decline in its subscriber base.
  • Compared to other service providers, 9mobile has struggled to attract and maintain switching clients.
As of 2025, MTN and Airtel jointly control over 85% of the market share, whereas Globacom controls 12%, and 9mobile has control over less than 2% of the market
Key takeaways:
  • MTN maintained the highest market share, growing from 41% in December 2015 to 52% by April 2025.
  • Airtel grew significantly, expanding from 22% in December 2015 to 34% by Apr 2025.
  • 9mobile experienced a steep decline, falling from 15% to 2% over the same period.
  • Globacom maintained stability until 2023, then saw a dramatic fall from 27% to 12% by December 2024.
  • The total market grew from 148.7 million in 2015 to 172.7 million subscribers in 2025 (16% growth).
  • 9mobile's market share declined from 22.2 million subscribers (15%) to just 3.0 million (2%) in 2025.
  • Globacom lost 41.5 million subscribers between 2023 and 2024.
  • Airtel's market share expanded from 22% to 34%.
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