Leading telecoms company MTN Nigeria has now reached 100 million subscribers, becoming the first Nigerian telecom operator to reach such a milestone. This is according to the latest industry
Leading telecoms company MTN Nigeria has now reached 100 million subscribers, becoming the first Nigerian telecom operator to reach such a milestone. This is according to the latest industry data showing subscriber counts for July 2026.
A breakdown of the data shows that MTN Nigeria was the biggest gainer during the month, adding over 1.2 million users. Its total subscriber base now stands at 100.9 million.
Airtel strengthened its second spot with 66.76 million subscribers after gaining over 600,000 new users during the month. Globacom remains third after ending the month with 23.63 million subscribers. The company saw its numbers decline after losing 54,000 subscribers.
T2mobile (formerly 9mobile) stayed fourth with 3.61 million, with July becoming the first month over the last four in which the operator witnessed a rise in subscriber counts. From April to June 2026, the operator’s subscriber count stood stagnant at 3.54 million.
Overall, total telecom users in Nigeria now stand at 195.1 million, an increase from 192.23 million recorded in June 2026. Also, MTN Nigeria, with its 100 million subscribers, holds approximately 52.1% of the total telecom subscriber base in the country.
It means that for every four mobile phone users in Nigeria, at least two are MTN users.
Also Read: MTN Nigeria launches FlyX ODU Router, an outdoor alternative to FibreX.
MTN drives mobile internet subscribersTotal internet subscribers on mobile increased from 156.4 million in June to 157.3 million in July 2026.
Expectedly, MTN Nigeria led with 84.1 million subscribers, taking a 53.5% share. Airtel followed with 56.8 million subscribers, while Globacom was far behind with 15.6 million subscribers.
T2mobile also saw its number of subscribers increase for the first time in four months. Its ongoing reforms and struggles now drive the count to 810,000.
Data consumption for the month reached a new record at 1.66 million terabytes used by Nigerians in July 2026. The number has now increased for four consecutive months, showing how Nigerians continue to increase their dependence on the internet.
Broadband subscriptions also increased to 124.4 million, with penetration now at 57.4%.
An internet user Data usage continues to increase significantly owing to modern apps, websites, and media files, which have become much heavier and devices stay connected to the internet all the time. This comes at a time when watching videos in High Definition (HD) or 4K uses gigabytes of data in a very short time.
Also, most apps do not stop working when they are closed. They constantly sync data, fetch new messages, and check for updates in the background. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook automatically play videos as users scroll through their feed, thereby consuming data before a user even chooses to watch.
