Active mobile lines hit 195.4m, internet users exceed 141m – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the number of active mobile subscriptions has reached 195.4 million while internet subscription has exceeded 141m in the last quarter.

NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, disclosed this at the commission’s head office in Abuja on Wednesday.

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Danbatta said mobile and internet subscriptions increased in the country because there had been increasing broadband penetration which stood at 40.88 per cent as at December 2021.

The EVC explained further that the commission would work even harder to ensure that broadband penetration gets to every part of the country.

“Despite some of the challenges confronting the sector, telecommunications remained an enabler of growth in the Nigerian economy in the year 2021. The Information and Communications sector contributed over N17 trillion to the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics to put the contribution of telecom and ICT in context that the audience could relate with,” Danbatta said.

He declared that NCC embarked on various initiatives including the licensing of Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), effective utilisation of spectrum, industry collaboration to address operators’ challenges, and increased collaborations with relevant government agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria.