Nigerian Telecom Market: Airtel and MTN Lead in 2026

The Nigerian telecommunications market is increasingly dominated by Airtel and MTN Nigeria, as reported by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). T2 Mobile reported a stagnant subscriber base of 802,534 for April, May, and June 2026 due to technical challenges that prevented updated reporting.

During this period, T2 experienced a net loss of 1,824 subscribers through number porting, with 73 subscribers moving to T2 and 1,897 switching to other operators. Glo's performance showed a 7.8% increase in subscribers from April to May but a subsequent 7.3% decline in June, resulting in fewer subscribers than in April.

Telecom expert Osita Odafi attributed Glo's decline to customer churn, although he noted that network performance issues should not be solely blamed. The NCC reported over 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts in the first half of 2026, impacting network availability.

In contrast, MTN Nigeria's active mobile internet subscriber base grew by 0.68%, while Airtel saw a 2.81% increase, adding 1.47 million subscribers in June alone.