• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

MTN’s mobile subscriber gain fails to lift market share

MTN’s mobile subscriber gain fails to lift market share

Nigeria’s largest telecommunication company’s gain of 696,600 mobile subscribers in October failed to uplift its market share as it slipped for the second time in two months.

MTN’s market share dropped to 40.14 percent from 40.34 percent recorded in September and 40.90 percent in August according to a new report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). It however grew its mobile subscribers to 83,331,682 in October from 82,635,082 in September.

The telco’s slip means that competitors like Airtel, Globacom, and 9Mobile had the opportunity to close the massive gap in between.

Airtel maintained its position as the second-largest telco rising by 27.08 percent in October from 26.97 percent it recorded in September and 26.96 percent in August. The telco operator welcomed 963,274 mobile subscribers to take its tally to 56,214,072 in October from 55,250,798 in September.

Read also: MTN to launch mobile apps for SMES business optimisation

Globacom which took the most share of the market in September sustained its growth in October rising to 26.53 percent from 26.48 percent in the previous month and 26.06 percent in August. The growth sees Globacom pulling in 824,812 mobile subscribers to sit at 55,079,362 from 54,254,550 in the previous month.

MTN’s mobile subscriber gain fails to lift market share
Telecommunication operators market share

9Mobile the fourth largest telco also maintained its impressive growth run in October. For the sixth time in a row – May to October – 9Mobile subscriber numbers have been on trending upwards and it does not seem to be dropping any time soon. In October, the telco’s market share jumped 6.24 percent from 6.21 percent and 6.01 percent in September and August respectively. The telco welcomed 223,899 mobile subscribers to hit 12,953,121 in October up from 12,729,222 in September.

For MTN – and perhaps the rest of the market, the number may not improve in November in view of the order to stop SIM card registration issued by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Communication. The order is to enable the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to embark on another audit of the Subscriber Registration Database. The directive applies to all mobile operators including MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9Mobile.

An industry stakeholder told BusinessDay on Friday that the directive will not only affect the number of new subscribers but also the revenue of the players in the industry.