Table of Contents
Key Points
- Glo Mobile, Nigeria's second national operator, lost 43 million subscribers in Q3 2024, representing a 69.2% reduction.
- The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) attributes the drop to NIN-SIM linkage enforcement and correction of inflated subscriber counts.
- Glo’s subscriber base reduction significantly impacts Nigeria’s telecom market, which saw a national decrease from 219.3 million in Q1 to 154.9 million by Q3 2024.
Glo Mobile, a subsidiary of Nigeria’s second national operator Globacom Limited and owned by telecom tycoon Mike Adenuga, faced a dramatic decline in Q3 2024, losing more than 43 million subscribers. This unprecedented reduction — 69.2 percent of its subscriber base — represents the largest impact among competing mobile network operators, according to recently released data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The NCC report highlights a substantial contraction in Nigeria’s telecom subscriber base, which dropped from 219.3 million in Q1 to 154.9 million in Q3 2024. This sharp decline is attributed to two main factors: the enforcement of mandatory Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) linkage to verified National Identification Numbers (NINs) and the rectification of inflated subscriber counts reported by a mobile network operator. These regulatory actions, according to the NCC, aim to enhance data integrity and improve security within the sector.
NIN-SIM linkage and regulatory actions trigger market-wide decline
The NCC’s enforcement of NIN-SIM linkage policies required the removal of all SIMs not associated with verified NINs, significantly impacting the telecom sector. Large numbers of inactive or unverified lines were eliminated, leading to a substantial reduction in the national subscriber count. Additionally, an unnamed mobile network operator faced corrective action for inflating subscriber figures, which further decreased the national database, from 216.9 million lines in April to 172.1 million in May 2024.
Glo Mobile’s sharp subscriber decline is part of a broader industry trend, with active lines across operators dropping by 26 percent from Q2 to Q3. As a result, Nigeria’s telecom market, which previously boasted over 100-percent penetration, saw teledensity fall to 71.46 percent.
Impact on Glo Mobile and industry outlook
This steep loss poses significant challenges for Glo Mobile, whose business model relies heavily on maintaining a large subscriber base for revenue generation. While other major operators — MTN, Airtel, and 9mobile — also faced reductions, Glo’s losses were proportionally more severe. This decline underscores the impact of tightened regulations and the shift toward improved data validation and security. As the NCC continues to enforce compliance and data integrity measures, Nigerian telecom operators may need to adjust their growth strategies, focusing on validated, high-quality subscriber acquisition to achieve stability in an evolving regulatory environment.
