MTN Nigeria Crosses 90m Subscribers as Industry Recovers from SIM-NIN Cleanup; 9mobile Struggles

MTN Nigeria has surged past the 90 million active subscriber milestone, reinforcing its dominance in the country’s telecom industry as of March 2025.

This is according to the latest figures released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which puts the total number of active mobile lines in the country at 172.4 million.

The new data points to a broader recovery in the sector, just over a year after the government-mandated National Identification Number (NIN) and SIM linkage audit wiped out over 60 million lines across networks. That cleanup exercise rattled the industry, slashing subscriber numbers and, to some extent, affecting revenues.

But MTN now controls 52.48% of the Nigerian mobile telecom market, with 90.4 million active connections — a major lead over rival Airtel Nigeria, which holds 33.78% market share and reported 58.2 million subscriptions. Globacom trails with 20.7 million active users, giving it a 12.01% slice of the market.

The most troubling trend, however, remains with 9mobile.

Once a vibrant player with ambitions to challenge incumbents, 9mobile now accounts for just 1.72% of the total market, with only 2.8 million active lines — a figure that remained static between February and March. While other operators reported modest growth month-on-month, 9mobile saw no movement, suggesting that subscribers neither joined nor exited the network in that time.

Industry insiders say this anomaly is not due to customer satisfaction but stems from technical issues that prevented users from porting out, a lifeline for subscribers hoping to escape worsening service quality.

A Crisis 9mobile Can’t Hide

For months, 9mobile has faced a cascade of complaints over network disruptions, slow internet speeds, and poor call quality. These concerns culminated in widespread rumors in March that the company was planning to shut down.

In response, 9mobile issued a statement vehemently denying any such intention, calling the speculation “false and misleading” and aimed at sowing panic among its subscriber base.

“We understand that some customers have recently faced challenges, particularly with Mobile Number Portability (MNP),” the company said. “We want to clarify that 9mobile has never restricted customers from porting to other networks.”

However, the company’s explanation — that the inability to port was due to “temporary technical challenges” — has done little to calm frustrated users. While 9mobile insists that the issues have been “largely resolved,” it also acknowledged lingering delays due to “ongoing system optimizations.”

The network further attributed some of the service disruptions to a transformation effort aimed at modernizing infrastructure and expanding coverage. It promised that its continued investment would “soon yield significant improvements,” even as subscribers in many parts of the country remain doubtful.

Contrasts in Fortunes

While MTN has not only regained its lost subscribers but expanded its reach, 9mobile appears trapped in a downward spiral of declining trust and technical setbacks.

Airtel, meanwhile, continues to consolidate its position as the second-largest network, even as it battles similar currency-related challenges that have plagued the entire telecom industry in Nigeria.

Analysts note that while MTN has managed to shield itself from some of the sector’s most disruptive shocks — thanks in part to aggressive network expansion and investments in digital infrastructure — 9mobile has lagged behind, hampered by weak capital inflow, management turnover, and legacy debt issues.

Industry observers believe the NCC may need to intervene more assertively to ensure that customers are not held hostage by underperforming networks. Mobile Number Portability is a regulatory right in Nigeria, designed to give consumers the freedom to switch providers when dissatisfied. Any hindrance, technical or otherwise, undermines that framework.