The telecommunications sector of Nigeria has recorded an increase in subscribers for the first time in seven months. Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that after a consistent decline in the number of active lines from December 2020 till May 2021, the tide changed for the better in June.
In December, the total number of active mobile (GSM) lines dropped to 204.229 million subscribers from 207.532 million subscribers in November. By May 2021, the number of active subscribers had declined by 10.04 per cent (20.836 million subscribers) of the November figure. But last June, the fortune of the industry improved, gaining 577,082 subscribers to hit 187.276 million. Other subscription lines improved too. The active lines of Fixed Wired/Wireless gained 471 subscribers and VoIP lines gained 4,431 subscribers in June.
The total number of active lines in June was 187.612 million. In December, the federal government banned the sale of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards by telecommunication companies as the NCC and National Identity Management Commission commenced a National Identification Number (NIN) – SIM link. Although the exercise is still ongoing, the FG allowed telcos to resume the sale and registration of new SIMs in the country. The ban while it lasted had a negative impact on the ICT industry including reducing its revenue contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).