MTN Nigeria has crossed the 100-million subscriber mark for the first time, after adding over two million active subscriptions in July, taking its customer base beyond 100 million.
The operator ended July 2026 with 100.86 million active subscribers, up from 98.64 million in June, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The 2.22 million increase was MTN’s strongest monthly gain this year and pushed its market share to 51.76%.
The milestone comes as overall active mobile subscriptions expanded to 195.1 million in July, from 192.23 million the previous month. MTN’s scale means it now serves more than half of Nigeria’s mobile connections.
The company also dominates mobile internet, with 84.1 million mobile internet subscriptions in July, representing 53.5% of the market. Airtel followed with 56.8 million, while Globacom recorded 15.6 million.
The broader growth in connectivity is being supported by heavier internet usage. Nigeria’s mobile data consumption reached a record 1.66 million terabytes in July, continuing a four-month upward trend. Broadband subscriptions also rose to 124.4 million, taking penetration to 57.4%.
Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, has previously linked the operator’s subscriber gains to stronger customer additions and rising data consumption.
The rapid expansion also increases pressure on MTN to maintain network quality.
The operator spent ₦620.5 billion on capital expenditure in the first half of 2026, investing in spectrum, fibre backhaul and network infrastructure.
For MTN, the 100-million mark provides a larger base from which to monetise data, fintech and other digital services, although subscriber numbers alone will not determine the commercial value of that growth.
Share
