Nigeria: Active voice subscriptions surge to 169 million in November – broadband penetration passes 30% target

The total number of active voice subscriptions in Nigeria reached 169 million in November, up from 105 million in October, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) said.

NCC head Umar Danbatta said internet subscriptions stood at 109 million, up from 107 million in October. The country has also exceeded the 30 percent broadband penetration target, reaching 30.9 percent in November.

Danbatta said Nigeria would achieve close to 50 percent broadband penetration by 2019. He said active broadband subscriptions on 3G and 4G platforms reached 58.96 million in November 2018. He added that the commission would commence monthly updates of its key performance indicators starting from December.

The telecommunications sector, said Danbatta, has been playing a huge part in the growth of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contributing almost ₦5 trillion (US$13.8 billion) to economy between the 1st and 3rd quarters of the year. He said the GDP contribution reached ₦4.7 trillion (US$12.97 billion) from the 1st quarter to the 3rd quarter, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In the 3rd quarter, the amount stood at ₦1.5 trillion (US$4.14 billion), according to the NBS. Danbatta said that the telecommunications and information services sector grew by 14.7 percent from the 1st quarter of 2017 to the 3rd quarter of 2018.

Source: Telecom Paper