Data Wars Heat Up: MTN, Airtel, Globacom Focus on Network Quality

Nigeria’s mobile market has reached about 185.5 million active subscriptions and a teledensity of 85.7%. Growth through new users is slowing as the market nears saturation. Major operators now compete on data speed, reliability, and network reach. MTN leads with 95.7 million subscribers and a 51.6% market share after adding 2.6 million users in Q1 2026. Airtel follows with 63.6 million users and 34.3%, posting the highest quarterly gain of 2.7 million. Globacom has 22.6 million subscribers and continues to rebuild after losses in the NIN–SIM verification exercise, while T2 holds 3.4 million users as it partners with Huawei to upgrade its core network. Demand for data rose to over 1.42 million terabytes in March. Operators are investing heavily in 4G expansion, fibre deployment, and 5G preparation to boost capacity. The Nigerian Communications Commission now requires carriers to compensate customers when service standards fall short, aiming to improve quality and support economic growth.

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