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Mobile operators’ second quarter performance shows 0.25% growth

By Adeyemi Adepetun
04 September 2019   |   4:20 am
Mobile Network operators (MNOs) in the country recorded on a collective basis, 0.25 per cent growth in second quarter, which ended in June. The figure showed a slight departure from the first quarter report of 0.48 per cent growth.

Telecommunication

Mobile Network operators (MNOs) in the country recorded on a collective basis, 0.25 per cent growth in second quarter, which ended in June. The figure showed a slight departure from the first quarter report of 0.48 per cent growth.

Statistics obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that the quartet of MTN, Globacom, Airtel and 9Mobile grew both voice and data subscriptions in the period under review.

Specifically, MTN, whose growth was down by 3.13 per cent in Q1, recovered slightly in Q2, with 0.35 per cent leap across all business frontiers. Globacom recorded 0.85 per cent growth in Q2, which was below Q1 performance of 2.10 per cent.

Airtel’s performance appeared the best of the quartet, with 1.53 per cent growth in the quarter, though below Q1 2.39 per cent leap. 9Mobile could not surpassed its Q1 5.79 per cent growth, rather went down by 5.19 per cent in Q2.Within this period, there were combined new subscriptions of about 925,895 telephone users. The NCC statistics showed that the number grew from 174, 024, 116 in June to 174, 950,011 in July. Within this period, the country’s teledensity leaped by one per cent climbing from 91 per cent in June to 92 per cent in July.

The number of Internet users in the country also grew by 389,339, moving from 122, 292,079 in June to 122, 681, 418 in July.The statistics showed that between June and July, Airtel got more Internet subscribers with 428,012 new subscriptions. The Sunil Bharti Mittal owned firm, which last week celebrated crossing 100 million subscription mark across its 14 African countries of operation is followed by Globacom, which garnered 102,017 new subscriptions. MTN got 14, 353 new online users. Unfortunately, 9Mobile, whose operations got a lift with $230 million loan facility from African Finance Corporation (AFC), shed some weight, losing 237,703 customers.

The table showed that MTN remained the largest operator with 38 per cent market share, serving 65 million Nigeria. Airtel, which had been in third position for some period of time now, is second with 46.8 million users and 26.80 per cent market share. Globacom is third with 46.7 million subscribers and 26.70 per cent market share. 9Mobile is fourth with nine per cent control and 15.7 million users.

In the Fixed Wired segment, MTN Fixed moved from having 5,375 users in July to 5,363 in August, thereby reducing by 12 users, while Glo Fixed had 2,925 users in July, adding 98 customers to the June record of 2,827.

The NCC data indicated that IpNX network moved from 2,122 subscriber base in June to 2,170 in July, gaining 48 customers.It said that 21st Century network had 98,816 customers in July, recording a decline in users by 42 users from its June record of 98,858.

The report also showed that the two Voice over Internet Protocol networks had 172,111 active users in July, as their customers increased by 6,778 from their June subscriber base of 165,333.Of the VOIP networks, Smile Communication had 167,555 customers, recording an increase of 6,543 users to its June customers of 161,012.

Ntel had 4,556 users subscribing to its products and services in the month of July, showing an increase of 235 users from the June record of 4,321 subscribers.

Meanwhile, between now and 2025, Nigeria and Ethiopia are two countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), expected to drive new telecommunications subscribers’ growth in the region.

This SSA growth is expected to be spearheaded by young African consumers as they become mobile users for the first time. Specifically, within this period, Nigeria, which currently has 174 million active telephone users, is expected to add 31 million new subscribers; Ethiopia 18 million; DRC 15 million; Tanzania 10 million, and Kenya nine million.

According to the Global System for Mobile telecommunications Association (GSMA), who valued SSA’s mobile economy for 2018 at $150 billion, disclosed that more than 160 million new unique mobile subscribers will be added across the region by 2025, bringing the total to 623 million, representing around half of the region’s population, up from 456 million (44 percent) in 2018.

Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA, Akinwale Goodluck, said a new generation of youthful ‘digital natives’ across SSA are set to fuel customer growth and drive adoption of new mobile services that are empowering lives and transforming businesses.“With mobile technology at the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa’s digital journey, it is essential for policymakers in the region to implement policies and best practices that ensure sustainable growth in the mobile industry, and enable the transition to next-generation mobile networks,” he noted.

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