Nigeria’s mobile telecommunications market added more than 15 million subscribers between January and August 2026, but the expansion has not been evenly shared, with MTN and Airtel taking more than 90% of the industry’s net additions while Globacom’s market position weakened despite adding subscribers.

Technology Times analysis of official monthly subscriber figures released Monday shows that the number of active mobile subscribers across the four major operators tracked in the data, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2, rose from 182,003,715 in January to 197,174,439 in August 2026, representing a net addition of 15,170,724 subscribers in eight months. The subscriber increase translates to an 8.34% expansion in the market since the beginning of the year.

But beneath the headline growth is a more consequential competitive shift. MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria accounted for 13.69 million, or about 90.2%, of all net subscriber additions recorded during the period.

Technology Times analysis of official monthly subscriber figures released Monday shows that the number of active mobile subscribers across the four major operators tracked in the data, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2, rose from 182,003,715 in January to 197,174,439 in August 2026, representing a net addition of 15,170,724 subscribers in eight months.

MTN alone contributed more than half of the industry’s growth, adding 8,310,515 subscribers between January and August, while Airtel added 5,378,778.

Globacom added 1,123,714, while T2 added 357,717.

These figures indicate that the growth of Nigeria’s mobile market in the first eight months of 2026 has largely strengthened the positions of the two biggest operators rather than materially altering the industry’s competitive order.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data puts the August market at 102,556,735 subscribers for MTN, 67,420,650 for Airtel, 23,583,253 for Globacom and 3,613,801 for T2. Their respective market shares were 52.01%, 34.19%, 11.96% and 1.83%.

MTN crosses 100 million subscribers

The biggest development in the eight-month period is MTN’s crossing of the 100 million subscriber threshold. The operator entered January with 94,246,220 subscribers and ended August with 102,556,735, an increase of 8.31 million. Its growth was sustained through virtually the entire period.

MTN moved from 94.25 million subscribers in January to 95.31 million in February, 95.76 million in March and 96.39 million in April. The operator reached 96.98 million in May before accelerating to 98.64 million in June.

In July, MTN crossed the 100 million mark with 100,859,578 subscribers, adding another 1.70 million in August to reach its latest reported figure.

The result is not simply a larger subscriber base. MTN also strengthened its position in the market. Its mobile market share rose from approximately 51.78% in January to 52.01% in August.

That means MTN’s subscriber growth outpaced the overall market during the period. The operator captured approximately 54.8% of all net subscriber additions between January and August.

For every 100 additional subscribers added across the four operators during the period, roughly 55 went to MTN.

Airtel keeps the pressure on

Airtel was the other major beneficiary of the market expansion. The number two operator’s subscriber base increased from 62,041,872 in January to 67,420,650 in August, producing a net gain of 5,378,778 subscribers. That represents growth of approximately 8.67%, slightly above the overall market growth of 8.34%.

Airtel therefore increased its market share marginally, moving from approximately 34.09% to 34.19% The mobile phone company’s performance was particularly significant because it maintained growth throughout the period while operating in a market dominated by MTN.

Airtel added about 35.5% of the industry’s net new subscribers between January and August. Combined with MTN’s additions, the two operators absorbed roughly nine out of every 10 net subscribers added to the market.

The result is a modest but clear increase in concentration at the top of the Nigerian mobile market. At the beginning of the year, MTN and Airtel together accounted for approximately 85.87% of subscribers in the supplied dataset. By August, their combined share had risen to approximately 86.20%.

Glo grows but shifts ground

Globacom presents a different story. At first glance, the operator appears to have had a positive year.

Glo’s subscriber base rose from 22,459,539 in January to 23,583,253 in August, representing a gain of 1,123,714 subscribers. But its growth rate of about 5% was significantly below the 8.34% expansion of the overall market.

As a result, Glo’s market share fell from approximately 12.34% in January to 11.96% in August. The decline becomes more visible when the monthly trajectory is examined.

Glo’s subscriber base increased through the first half of the year, reaching 23,682,605 in June. It then reversed direction.

The number three operator fell to 23,628,966 in July and declined further to 23,583,253 in August. 

This makes Glo the clearest relative loser among the four operators during the period. It did not lose subscribers over the entire January-August period. Rather, it failed to grow as quickly as the market and then began losing subscribers in the final two months covered by the analysis.

That distinction matters. Glo’s position in the first eight months was therefore less about an absolute collapse in its subscriber base and more about losing competitive share while its larger rivals expanded faster.

T2 records fastest percentage growth

T2 produced the highest percentage growth among the four operators, although its much smaller subscriber base means that its impact on the overall market remains limited.

The operator started January with 3,256,084 subscribers and ended August with 3,613,801. Its net addition of 357,717 subscribers translates to growth of approximately 10.99%, ahead of MTN, Airtel, Glo and the overall market. T2’s market share consequently increased from approximately 1.79% to 1.83%.

The figures, however, also show a less consistent growth pattern than those of the two market leaders.

T2 increased from 3.26 million subscribers in January to 3.44 million in February and 3.48 million in March. The number four reached about 3.54 million in April and remained at that level through May and June before rising to 3.61 million in July. The figure remained unchanged in August.

So while T2 was technically the fastest-growing operator by percentage, its 357,717 net additions represented only about 2.4% of total industry additions.

Its performance is therefore a growth story, but not yet a market-disruption story.

July was the strongest month

The industry did not grow at a uniform pace. The largest monthly addition came in July, when the total subscriber base rose by approximately 2.88 million, from 191,985,952 in June to 194,862,642.

June was the second strongest month, with an increase of about 2.55 million.

August followed with another 2.31 million subscribers, taking the market to 197.17 million.

The January-August trajectory was:

The market therefore recorded an increase every month in the supplied January-August series.

The bigger market story

The subscriber numbers point to a Nigerian telecoms market that is still expanding, but whose expansion is increasingly being captured by the two dominant operators.

The 15.17 million net additions recorded between January and August would ordinarily suggest a broadly positive market environment.

However, the distribution of those additions tells a different story.

MTN captured 8.31 million.

Airtel captured 5.38 million.

Together, they accounted for 13.69 million subscribers, leaving just 1.48 million net additions for Glo and T2 combined.

This means the competitive distance between the market leaders and the rest of the market widened during the period.

The August numbers reinforce that position.

MTN ended the period with 102.56 million subscribers, more than 35 million ahead of Airtel.

Airtel, with 67.42 million, was itself nearly three times the size of Glo’s 23.58 million base.

T2 remained below four million subscribers.

The NCC’s published August statistics confirm the same market structure, showing MTN with 52.01% of subscribers, Airtel with 34.19%, Globacom with 11.96% and T2 with 1.83%.

Subscriber growth meets data growth

The subscriber expansion is also taking place alongside continued growth in mobile internet usage.

NCC’s industry statistics show that mobile GSM internet subscribers increased from 150,912,474 in January 2026 to 158,066,217 in August, an increase of more than 7.15 million.

The same NCC data shows broadband subscriptions rising from 115,040,077 in January to 126,217,174 in August, an increase of more than 11.17 million during the eight-month period.

The market is therefore not simply adding telephone connections. The expansion is occurring alongside deeper use of mobile internet and broadband services, strengthening the importance of subscriber acquisition to operators’ data, digital-service and broader ecosystem strategies.

There is also a visible technology transition underneath the subscriber numbers.

NCC data shows 4G’s share of mobile connections rising from 53.41% in January to 54.77% in August, while 5G increased from 3.94% to 4.92% over the same period. At the same time, 2G declined from 36.97% to 36.05%.

This suggests that the subscriber market is expanding while the underlying connectivity mix continues to move towards higher-generation networks.

What the numbers say about the competitive race

The January-August figures produce four distinct stories.

MTN is the dominant winner. It added the largest number of subscribers, crossed 100 million and increased its market share.

Airtel is the second major winner. It added more than 5.3 million subscribers and slightly increased its share while growing faster than the overall market.

T2 is the fastest percentage grower. But its low starting base means its absolute contribution to industry growth remains modest.

Glo is the relative loser. It added more than one million subscribers during the period, but its growth lagged the market, its share declined and its subscriber base fell in both July and August.

The emerging picture is therefore not one of a shrinking Nigerian telecoms market. It is the opposite.

Nigeria’s mobile subscriber market is expanding, but the expansion is increasingly flowing towards MTN and Airtel.

With the industry’s subscriber base approaching the 200 million mark, the next phase of the competitive battle will be less about whether Nigeria’s mobile market is growing and more about which operators can capture the next wave of subscribers, retain them and convert them into sustained demand for voice, data, broadband and digital services.

For Glo, the August decline raises a more immediate question: whether the operator can reverse the two-month contraction before the loss of market share becomes a longer-term trend.

For T2, the challenge is different: whether its double-digit percentage growth can translate into meaningful scale.

For Airtel, the opportunity is to turn its strong acquisition momentum into a stronger challenge to MTN’s dominance.

And for MTN, the immediate headline is already clear.

More than 100 million subscribers are now on its network, and the first eight months of 2026 show the market leader pulling further ahead.