The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) says the number of internet subscribers has increased to 148.10 million in April.
The figure represents the highest recorded in the past 14 months.
Of the total figure, mobile (GSM) accounted for 147.45 million subscribers — leaving Fixed Wire and VoIP for the remaining subscribers, the commission stated in an update of industry statistics posted on its website.
According to the data, the total number of active mobile (GSM) internet subscribers increased to 147.45 million at the end of April 2022 — after recording the lowest in July 2021 at 139.38 million.
Recall that the federal government had directed telecommunications companies to suspend the sales and reactivation of new SIM cards in December 2020.
The policy denied new entrants into the country access to purchase mobile lines as well as existing users who want to retrieve their lost lines.
The government had premised the decision on the audit of the subscriber registration database in the country at the height of security challenges – banditry and kidnapping.
By the end of the first quarter of 2021, the policy had stifled the telecoms industry with single-digit growth.
The regulatory restrictions impacted the operations of telcos, posting declines in mobile subscriptions and revenue.
