Agency Report, 

Nigeria’s fourth mobile network operator, 9mobile, has continued to experience a decline in its subscriber base, with 6079 customers porting out of its network in two months.

This porting loss for 9mobile occurred in the months of November and December 2024.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) made this known in its Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Networks Operators Report on its website.

According to the NCC’s report, out of a total of 2998 subscribers which moved from one network to another in December 2024, 2188 subscribers left 9mobile to other networks in the period.

The report stated that in November 2024, out of 4726 subscribers that switched from one network to another, 9mobile lost 3891 subscribers to other networks.

“This brought the total number of subscribers lost by 9mobile in two months to 6079.

“Other operators recorded insignificant outgoing porting numbers compared to 9mobile.

“In December 2024, MTN lost 236 customers, Airtel recorded 269 outgoing porting, Globacom recorded 305, while 9mobile lost 2188.

“In terms of incoming porting in the same period (December 2024), MTN gained the most customers from other operators, with 1856 subscribers joining its network.

“Airtel recorded 835 incoming porting, while Globacom gained 290 customers.

“In contrast, 9mobile recorded a mere 17 incoming porting in December 2024,” the report stated.

It noted that in November 2024, 4726 subscribers ported from one network to another.

The NCC report also showed that for outgoing porting activities for November 2024, 9mobile was the biggest loser, as 3891 subscribers ported out of the network.

According to it, other operators lost only a few subscribers, MTN parted with 166 customers, Airtel recorded 362 outgoing porting activities while Globacom lost 307 subscribers.

For incoming porting activities in November 2024, the report showed that MTN gained the most, adding 3019 subscribers to its network, Airtel recorded 1266 incoming porting, and Globacom gained 414 customers.

It noted that in contrast to the others, 9mobile gained just 27 subscribers.

The report indicated that there were more incoming and outgoing porting activities in November 2024 than December 2024

A total of 2998 activities were recorded in December, while November had 4726 porting activities, it said.

The report also revealed a decrease of 1728 in mobile number portability activities in December 2024, when compared to November 2024.

“On market share, the Nigerian telecommunications sector witnessed a significant shift in market dynamics, with 9mobile’s market share declining to as low as 1.9 per cent in December 2024, according to recent data released by the NCC.

“This decline is a far cry from 9mobile’s erstwhile dominance, when it boasted 23.4 million subscribers and a 15.7 per cent market share in 2015.

“The company’s stagnant subscriber base, which has remained unchanged at 3.2 million for two consecutive months, further accentuated this decline.

“In contrast, the country’s other major telecommunications operators have experienced notable growth,” the NCC report stated.

It said that MTN Nigeria had solidified its position, increasing its market share to 51 per cent with 84.6 million subscribers in December, up from 81.2 million in November.

It added that Airtel also demonstrated resilience, expanding its subscriber base to 56.6 million in December, up from 55.4 million in the preceding month.

It showed that Globacom, which faced a decline in subscribers earlier in 2024 due to a regulatory audit, had shown signs of recovery, growing its subscriber base from 19.6 million to 20.1 million by the end of year 2024.

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Telecommunications operators in Nigeria are preparing to implement a 50 percent tariff increase approved by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Although the NCC had initially scheduled the increase to take effect in February, operators have indicated that full implementation will begin in March.

During a media briefing in Lagos over the weekend, representatives of the telecom sector explained that the tariff adjustment was necessary to sustain the industry rather than being a move to boost profitability.

The announcement comes amid opposition from labor unions, with the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress planning a nationwide protest on February 4, demanding a reduction of the hike to five percent.

The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, explained that operators are following regulatory procedures, including filing, reviewing, and obtaining approvals before rolling out the new tariffs.

He noted that different service providers would introduce their adjusted rates gradually, with some changes expected as early as next week.

Adebayo emphasized that the telecom sector should not be expected to subsidize other sectors of the economy, pointing out that rising costs in various industries should not translate to artificially low telecom rates.

He warned that keeping tariffs unsustainably low could have negative long-term effects on the industry.

On the issue of investments, Femi Adeniran, the Director of Corporate Communications and CSR, stated that telecom firms have continued to invest in infrastructure and that the tariff adjustment would help ensure further expansion and service improvements.

Kenechukwu Okonkwo, Director of Product Innovation and Business Development at 9mobile, suggested that market forces should ideally determine tariff rates and expressed hope that economic conditions in the country would improve to prevent further increases.

Regarding the longstanding issue of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) debt between telecom operators and banks, Adebayo confirmed that progress was being made toward a final resolution.