MTN crosses 90 million mark as Nigeria’s mobile subscriptions hit 172 million in March 2025 

This is according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which shows that total active mobile subscriptions across the four mobile networks increased to 172.4 million in March.

The data shows that the mobile network operators are gradually recovering after last year’s NIN-SIM audit that wiped out over 60 million subscriptions from their database.

Of the total mobile subscriptions, MTN accounted for 52.48% of the market share with 90.4 million active connections.

While other operators recorded an increase in their active subscriptions between February and March, 9mobile’s figure remained static, an indication that there was no new activation or exit from the network in one month.

While consistently poor service has seen millions of customers leave 9mobile, the stability recorded between February and March is attributable to customers’ inability to port out of the network in the period.

The incessant complaints by the subscribers over deteriorating service quality and their inability to port from the network to another network had led to widespread rumors that 9mobile was shutting down in March.

In response to that, 9mobile, in a statement released by its management, admitted that its subscribers had been facing difficulties in porting but denied putting in place any restriction.

“9mobile categorically refutes the false and misleading rumours suggesting an alleged shutdown of our operations in Nigeria.  

“These claims are entirely baseless and aimed at causing unnecessary panic among our valued subscribers. 

We understand that some customers have recently faced challenges, particularly with Mobile Number Portability (MNP), a service that enables seamless network switching.  

“We want to clarify that 9mobile has never restricted customers from porting to other networks,” the company stated.

While insisting that it remains fully compliant with industry regulations and is committed to delivering fair, transparent, and customer-focused services, 9mobile said the issues being faced by its customers were a result of “temporary technical challenges.” 

“These issues have now been largely resolved. Some minor delays may still occur due to ongoing system optimizations, but we are actively working to ensure a smoother experience for all users,” it added.

It further stated that its ongoing investments in network upgrades and service expansion would soon yield significant improvements, ensuring reliable connectivity for individuals, businesses, and communities.