MTN leads as mobile internet subscribers hit 122 million in Q1 2019 ― NBS

The number of mobile Internet subscribers have to rise to 122,673,632 and 166,310,154 subscribers in the first quarter of 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recent report has said.

Also, the number of active voice rose to 173,713,842 and 172,042,116 subscribers in the first quarter of 2019 against the 162,032,481 subscribers which were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018.

The NBS said the Internet subscribers which were at 103,524,997 recorded a 5.47% growth, while voice subscribers witnessed 0.18% increment.

In its summary, NBS noted “Lagos State has the highest number of subscribers in terms of active voice per State in Q2 2019 and closely followed by Ogun and Kano States respectively while Bayelsa and Ebonyi States have the least number of subscribers.

“Similarly, Lagos State has the highest number of subscribers in terms of active internet per State in Q2 2019 and closely followed by Ogun and Kano States respectively while Bayelsa and Ebonyi States have the least number of subscribers. MTN has the highest share of subscription. This is closely followed by GLO, AIRTEL, and EMTS”.

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Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari in August this year said that the Nigerian Telecommunications industry accounted for 10 percent in the first quarter of the Country’s Gross Domestic Product this year.

Speaking at the opening of the 2nd Conference of African Telecoms Regulators on Consumer Affairs (CATCO), the President who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha said the sector has been driving the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda aimed at boosting efficiency in governance and all the key sectors of the economy.

He said Telecom’s technologies have created a borderless world with impacts on the lives of millions of consumers, regardless of how remote they are physically located.

His words: “In fact, the contribution of telecoms to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) now stands at over 10 percent by the first quarter of this year. We want to see the telecoms industry playing an even bigger role as an enabler of economic growth and development not only in Nigeria but also across Africa.