Nigeria Mobile Network Performance Report 2026: MTN, Airtel, Glo and T2 Mobile

Nigeria's mobile telecommunications landscape in 2026 is defined by three simultaneous and sometimes contradictory realities.
The market is growing. Nigerian telecoms operators added 14.7 million subscribers in 2025, bringing the total active subscriber base to 179.64 million by December 2025 - the highest figure in 20 months. Internet subscribers reached 148.2 million by December 2025, representing approximately 68.3% of the population.
The market is more expensive. The NCC approved a 50% increase in telecom tariffs in January 2025 - the first significant upward adjustment in over a decade. All four major operators adjusted prices accordingly, causing an immediate one million subscriber loss in internet users in February 2025 and a 12% decline in monthly data consumption - before a partial recovery in March.
The market is consolidating. MTN and Airtel now control roughly 86% of the entire Nigerian telecom market, leaving Glo and T2 Mobile (formerly 9mobile) increasingly marginalised. 9mobile's rebrand to T2 Mobile in 2025–2026 under new ownership represents a last-attempt repositioning by a network that has lost more subscribers through porting than all its competitors combined.
For Nigerian consumers navigating this landscape, the question has shifted. It is no longer "which network has coverage?" - all four operators have meaningful national presence. It is now "which network delivers the performance that justifies its price at my specific location, for my specific usage pattern?" This report answers that question with the available verified data.