9mobile, Nigeria’s mobile network provider, has seen a steep drop in its subscriber base over the past two months, with 6,079 people exiting the network, a report by the Nigerian Communications Commission stated.
For 9mobile, this porting loss happened in the months of November and December 2024 according to “Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Networks Operators Report” published by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The NCC report states that 2,188 of the 2,998 users who switched networks in December 2024 left 9mobile and joined other networks during that time.
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In November 2024, 9mobile lost 3,891 users of 4,726 subscribers to other networks.
The NCC report said, “This brought the total number of subscribers lost by 9mobile in two months to 6,079. Other operators recorded insignificant outgoing porting numbers compared to 9mobile.”
“In December 2024, MTN lost 236 customers, Airtel recorded 269 outgoing porting, Globacom recorded 305, while 9mobile lost 2,188.”
MTN gained 1,856 customers from other networks in December 2024
MTN added 1,856 subscribers to its network during the same period (December 2024), gaining the most clients from other operators.
There were 835 inbound ports for Airtel and 290 new subscribers for Globacom.
However, the report stated that in December 2024, 9mobile registered 17 incoming ports.
A total of 4,726 users switched networks in November 2024.
With 3,891 users leaving the network, 9mobile was the largest loser in November 2024’s outgoing porting activity, according to the NCC report.
Other operators only lost a small number of subscribers, according to the survey; Globacom lost 307 subscribers, MTN lost 166 consumers, while Airtel registered 362 outbound porting transactions.
MTN gained 3,019 customers from other networks in November 2024
MTN added 3,019 users to its network in November 2024, while Airtel reported 1266 incoming portings and Globacom added 414 consumers, according to the data on incoming porting activity. It pointed out that, compared to the others, 9mobile only added 27 new users.
Incoming and outbound porting activity was higher in November 2024 than in December 2024, according to the data. However, it stated that November had 4,726 porting activities, and December had 2,918 activities.
According to the data, there were 1,728 fewer mobile number portability activities in December 2024 than in November 2024.
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9mobile records 1.9% market share in December 2024
According to the NCC’s data, 9mobile’s market share dropped to as low as 1.9 percent in December 2024, reflecting a dramatic shift in the market dynamics in the Nigerian telecoms sector.
The former domination of 9mobile, which had 23.4 million members and a 15.7 percent market share in 2015, is a long cry from this decline. This decline was made worse by the company’s stagnating subscriber base, which has held steady at 3.2 million for the past two months.
However, other major telecom providers in the nation have seen significant expansion, according to the NCC report.
MTN Nigeria subscribers increased to 84.6 million in December 2024
Additionally, it stated that MTN Nigeria has strengthened its position, growing its market share from 81.2 million subscribers in November to 51 percent in December with 84.6 million users.
Also, it noted that Airtel showed tenacity by growing its subscriber base from 55.4 million in the previous month to 56.6 million in December.
By the end of 2024, Globacom’s subscriber count had grown from 19.6 million to 20.1 million, indicating that it had recovered from a drop in customers earlier in the year due to a regulatory audit.