According to the state-by-state analysis, of the NBS, Lagos State had the highest number of active voice subscribers with 26, 739,346, followed by Ogun with 13,070,779 and Kano with 12,325,633 respectively.

The NBS report also noted that MTN maintained its status quo as the telecommunication service provider with the highest share of subscriptions in Q4 2023.

In comparative terms, Bayelsa recorded the least number of 1,557,786 voice subscribers, followed by Zamfara and Gombe with 2,772,424 and 2,785,030, respectively,”

This was contained in the NBS Telecoms Data: Active Voice and Internet per State, Porting and Tariff Information report for Q4 2023, released in Abuja, today.

According to NBS, this shows an increase of 0.96 percent compared to the 222,571,568 reported in the fourth quarter of 2022.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the report showed that active voice subscribers increased by 1.32 percent from the 221,769,883 recorded in Q3 2023.

Also, the report revealed a total of 163,838,439 active internet subscribers were recorded in Q4 of 2023 compared to the 154,847,901 reported in Q4 2022.

“This represents a 5.81 percent increase in active internet subscriptions year-on-year.

“While on a quarter-on-quarter basis, active internet subscribers grew by 2.29 percent from the 160,171,125 recorded in Q3 of 2023,’’ it stated.

On state-by-state analysis, the report showed that Lagos State had the highest number of active voice subscribers in Q4 2023 with 26, 739,346, followed by Ogun with 13,070,779 and Kano with 12,325,633.

Similarly, the report said Lagos State had the highest number of active internet subscribers in Q4 2023 with 18,927,446, followed by Ogun with 9,570,463 and Kano with 9,031,581.

“On the other hand, Bayelsa recorded the least number of internet subscribers with 1,193,525, followed by Zamfara and Gombe with 1,959,252 and 2,100,073, respectively.”

The drop in teledensity, Techeconomy learned, was due to adjustment of the measurements to reflect the latest population growth figures and align with international best practices.

The adjustment which is reflected in the telecom industry statistical reports of September, October, and November 2023 published on the Commission’s website, was predicated upon the Nigerian Population Commission (NPC)’s projection of Nigeria’s population at 216,783,381, as of 2022, replacing the previously used 2017 projection of 190 million people.

With the consequential adjustment, which is in line with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s calculation of teledensity, the nation’s teledensity dropped from 115.63% to 102.30% in September, while Broadband penetration witnessed a similar drop from 45.47% to 40.85% in the same month.

However, the active voice subscription statistics witnessed a marginal growth from 220,361,186 to 221,769,883 as of September 2023.

In addition, Internet subscriptions also enjoyed a marginal growth, from 159,034,717 in August 2023 to 160,171,757 in September 2023.

In October 2023 the industry also experienced a 0.19% growth in Active Voice subscriptions while teledensity stood at 102.49% with Internet subscriptions increasing by 0.60% compared to September 2023.

In November of the same year, the industry also experienced a 0.46% growth in Active Voice subscriptions.

Teledensity stood at 102.97% with a 0.57% increase in Internet subscriptions when compared to October 2023.

Teledensity is an index prescribed by the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, for the measurement of telephone penetration in a population by a factor of one line per 100 individuals in the population.

The adjustment by the Commission is consistent with Section 89 Subsection 3(d) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (NCA 2003), in which the Commission is mandated to monitor and report on the state of the Nigerian telecommunications industry, provide statistical analysis and identify industry trends concerning services, tariffs, operators, technology, subscribers, and issues of competition.

Dr. Aminu Maida, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, affirmed the nation’s telecom statistical adjustment process as an appropriate step to maintain the integrity of data about the Nigerian telecom industry as collected, collated, and published by the Commission.

He noted that this will also ensure the accurate measurement of the Commission’s progress towards attaining increased broadband penetration rates, improved quality of service, and increased population coverage, among other targets set out in the Strategic Plan for the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.

The NCC boss also said such data provides information for both the International Telecommunications Union to which Nigeria belongs, and other development agencies as well as the operators, investors, multilateral agencies, and the public.