TOPIC: NIGERIA’S 5G CONNECTIONS RISE 41% IN ONE YEAR

Nigeria’s 5G connections increased by 40.98 per cent between July 2025 and June 2026, reflecting a gradual shift by mobile users towards faster network technologies.

Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission showed that 5G accounted for 4.61 per cent of mobile connections in June 2026, up from 3.27 per cent a year earlier. The increase represents a 1.34 percentage-point rise in the technology’s share of the market. 

The growth came alongside an expansion in 4G adoption, which remained Nigeria’s dominant mobile technology. Its share of connections rose from 51.22 per cent in July 2025 to 54.31 per cent in June 2026.

Meanwhile, older network technologies continued to lose ground. 3G’s share fell from 7.13 per cent to 4.86 per cent, while 2G declined from 38.38 per cent to 36.22 per cent during the same period.

Together, 4G and 5G accounted for 58.92 per cent of mobile connections by June, compared with 54.49 per cent a year earlier.

MTN Nigeria remained the largest operator with 98.64 million subscribers, followed by Airtel with 66.12 million. Globacom had 23.68 million, while 9mobile had 3.54 million subscribers.

The figures indicate a steady migration towards newer mobile technologies as operators expand network capacity and consumers increasingly depend on data-intensive digital services.