Active voice subscriptions witnessed the highest growth rate in Zamfara, Katsina and Kogi states in 2022, as improved security in the north west geopolitical zone of the country paved the way for more Nigerians in that part of the country to obtain and use mobile lines.

Based on the latest telecoms data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Zamfara State recorded the most increase in active voice subscriptions to the tune of 36.6 percent in 2022, with active lines increasing from 2.06 million in 2021 to 2.82 million in 2022.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, Katsina, recorded the second highest growth rate in active voice subscriptions, from 4.61 million in 2021 to 6.01 million in 2022, representing an increase of 30.4 percent.

The confluence state, Kogi, north central Nigeria, recorded the third highest growth rate to the tune of 24.3 percent, as active voice lines rose from 3.87 million in 2021 to 4.81 million in 2022.

Growth in active lines in Taraba was 21.5 percent from 2.71 million to 3.29 million during the reference period, and in Niger State, active voice lines rose from 6.24 million to 7.55 million during the same period, representing an increase of 20.9 percent.

Not only the five aforementioned states were topmost in terms of growth, they also surpassed the national average growth rate in voice subscriptions.

According to NBS, the total active voice subscriptions rose by 13.9 percent nationwide in 2022, to 222.57 million up from 195.46 million in the previous year.

Other states in the top ten when measured by growth are Delta, 20.5 percent; Kwara, 20 percent; Nasarawa, 19.7 percent; Osun, 19.4 percent, and Ondo, 19 percent.

On data/internet subscriptions, Zamfara, Katsina and Taraba recorded the most growth in 2022. Data subscriptions increased by 46.9 percent in Zamfara from 1.25 million in 2021 to 1.84 million in 2022. Growth in data subscriptions was 39.3 percent in Katsina, from 3.04 million to 4.24 million during the same period, and as data subscriptions increased from 1.94 million to 2.27 million, growth was 16.7 percent in Taraba State, north east Nigeria.

Among the highest growth rates in internet subscriptions include Nasarawa, 14.5 percent; Benue, 14 percent; Kogi, 14 percent; Niger, 13.3 percent; Delta, 13 percent; Kebbi, 12.3 percent, and Plateau, 11.8 percent.

Overall, data subscriptions increased by 8.9 percent nationwide from 141.97 million in 2021 to 154.64 million in 2022.

Based on geopolitical zones, the north central recorded the highest voice subscription growth in 2022, as total active lines rose from 36.17 million in 2021 to 46.62 million in 2022, representing an increase of 17.8 percent. The north east had 21.54 million active voice subscriptions in 2022, an increase of 12.8 percent over 19.09 million active lines in 2021. Growth in active voice subscriptions was 12 percent in the north west, from 36.44 million in 2021 to 40.81 million in 2022.

The three geopolitical zones in the north accounted for 104.96 million active voice lines in 2022, as against 91.71 million active voice subscriptions in 2021, an increase of 14.5 percent.

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The market share of the northern region in the voice subscription segment stood at 47.2 percent in 2022. This was an improvement over 46.9 percent market share the region controlled in 2021.

The south east recorded 12.1 percent growth in voice subscriptions within the reference period, from 19.22 million active voice lines to 21.55 million voice lines during the period.

Growth in south-south was 13.3 percent, from 28.7 million lines to 32.51 million lines. South west had 63.54 million voice subscriptions in 2022, representing a 13.8 percent increase over 55.88 million lines in 2021.

The combined active voice subscriptions of the southern region stood at 117.6 million in 2022, representing an increase of 13.3 percent over 103.75 million lines in 2021.

The market share of voice subscriptions in the southern part of the country shrank from 53.1 percent in 2021 to 52.8 percent in 2022.

In terms of data/internet subscriptions, the north central had 29.61 million internet lines in 2022 as against 26.59 million in 2021, amounting to an increase of 11.3 percent. North east had 14.99 million internet lines in 2022, representing an increase of 8.8 percent over 13.78 million internet lines in 2021. North west recorded an increase of 10.8 percent from 25.38 million internet lines in 2021 to 28.12 million lines in 2022.

The combined internet subscriptions of the three northern geopolitical zones stood at 72.72 million in 2022, an increase of 10.6 percent over 65,76 million in 2021. Consequently, the market share of the internet segment for the northern part of the country, increased from 46.3 percent in 2021 to 47 percent in 2022.

Internet subscriptions in the south east rose by 7 percent from 13.67 million lines to 14.63 million lines during the period. The highest growth in the southern part was in the south-south, where internet subscriptions were up by 8 percent from 20.83 million lines to 22.50 million lines.

Internet subscriptions grew by 7.4 percent in the south west from 41.72 million in 2021 to 44.79 million in 2022.

As a result, the internet market share of the southern part of the country reduced to 53 percent in 2022, down from 53.7 percent in 2021.

Regarding telecoms operators in the country, MTN Nigeria maintained its market leadership in the voice subscriptions market by having 89.02 million active voice subscriptions in 2022 compared to 73.59 million lines in 2021, an increase of 21 percent.

Globacom had 60.29 million active voice subscriptions in 2022 as against 54.82 million in 2021. Airtel Nigeria had 60.07 million lines in 2022 compared to 53.93 million lines in 2021. The odd one out is 9Mobile which had 12.85 million voice subscriptions in 2022 as against 12.79 million in 2021, recording an insignificant growth of 0.5 percent.