2018 Nigeria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 12 Feb 2018 Update History

Report Status: Archived

Report Pages: 153

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Contact BuddeComm

Purchase this Report

Summary
Table Of Contents

Publication Overview

This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Nigeria’s telecommunications market. The report analyses the mobile, internet, broadband, digital TV and converging media sectors. Subjects include:

Market and industry analyses, trends and developments;
Facts, figures and statistics;
Industry and regulatory issues;
Infrastructure developments;
Major players, revenue, subscribers, ARPU, MoU;
Internet, VoIP, videostreaming;
Mobile voice and data markets;
Broadband (FttP, DSL, cable, wireless);
Convergence and Digital Media;
Mobile subscriber forecasts;
Mobile market forecasts for selective years to 2023.
Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;
Market liberalisation and industry issues;
Telecoms operators – privatisation, IPOs, acquisitions, new licences;
Mobile technologies (GSM; 3G, HSPA, LTE).

Researcher:- Henry Lancaster
Current publication date:- February 2018 (17th Edition)

Executive Summary

Nigeria licenses two more InfraCos for wholesale broadband

Nigeria has one of the largest telecom markets in Africa, supported by the second largest economy on the continent after South Africa. During 2016 the economy went into recession, though GDP growth returned in 2017. Given the potential for further growth, the telecom sector attracts considerable foreign investment. Market liberalisation measures in recent years have led to hundreds of companies, many of them small and localised, being set up to provide a range of telecom and value-added services.

The mobile sector has benefited from market competition and the wider deployment of LTE technologies, which have in turn supported operator revenue growth and encouraged the adoption of mobile broadband among subscribers. Other than the key mobile network operators, there are a number of additional players operating under a unified licensing regime.

The regulator has licensed four regional infrastructure companies (InfraCos) to build a national broadband network and offer capacity to all service providers on a non-discriminatory, open-access and price-regulated basis. An additional three InfraCo licenses are expected to be awarded by mid-2018.

The competitive fixed-line market includes a second national operator (Globacom) and over 80 other licensed companies. The alternative carriers combined provide around 85% of all fixed connections, though in general terms about 80% of all connections are wireless.

Nigeria’s broadband sector has seen considerable consolidation among players, from over 400 ISPs in 2012 to fewer than 90 by early 2018. Most internet connections are via mobile networks, principally GSM and 3G and more recently LTE, though there are a number of WiMAX operators which have found niche markets. The government has continued with its plan to increase broadband penetration to 30% by 2018 and to increase mobile broadband penetration to 50% by 2020. To this end the regulator is looking to auction additional spectrum in the 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands.

The country has Africa’s largest mobile market, with about 142 million subscribers and a penetration rate of 101%. The number of subscribers fell in 2017 as consumers responded to a poor economic climate, adopted other OTT channels for voice and data services, and as regulatory measures continued to oblige operators to disconnect unregistered SIM cards.

Key developments:

Regulator licences two more InfraCos;
Government pledges to deploy 18,000km of fibre to extend broadband to rural areas;
MTN Nigeria secures licence for spectrum in the 2.6GHz band;
State oil company NNPC allows part of its fibre infrastructure to be used for telecom services;
Regulator hopes for the telecoms sector to account for a greater share of GDP by 2025;
Government devising strategy to increase broadband penetration to 30% by end-2018, increase mobile broadband penetration to 50% by 2020;
Bidders shortlisted for acquisition of 9Mobile;
Regulator prepares to revise mobile interconnection rate;
MTN Nigeria extends licenses for spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands to August 2021;
Report update includes the regulator's market data to December 2017, operator data to Q3 2017, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Nigerian Telecommunications (Nitel, Pentascope, Transcorp), Globacom, VGC Communications, Nepskom Communications, MTS First Wireless, Suburban Telecom, Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), Traffic Network Services, Fibre Tech West Africa, Phase3 Telecom, Gateway Telecoms Integrated Services, Mobitel Nigeria, Prestel (O-Mobile), Galaxy Backbone, 21st Century Technologies, Main One (Mainstreet Technologies), NigComSat, O3b Networks, WASACE, Linkserve, Pinet Informatics, Odu’a Telecom, Swift Networks, Startech Connection, Netcom Africa, MWEB Nigeria, Starcomms, Layer3, Communication Trends Nigeria, Entertainment Highway (HiTV), MTN Nigeria, Bharti Airtel (formerly Zain, Celtel), 9Mobile (Etisalat Nigeria, EMTS, Mubadala), Econet Wireless, Vodacom

Henry Lancaster
February 2018

Key statistics

Country overview
Historical overview

Regulatory environment

Regulatory authority
National Telecommunications Policy (NTP)
Nigerian Communications Act
West African common regulatory framework
Interconnection
Infrastructure sharing
Telecom taxes
Universal service

National Rural Telephony Program (NRTP)
National Information Technology Development (NITD) Fund
Backbone Transmission Infrastructure Project (BTRAIN)

Telecom sector liberalisation

Globacom’s SNO licence
Regional fixed-wireless access (FWA) licences
International gateway licences
Unified licensing regime

Privatisation of Nitel

Fixed network operators

Nigerian Telecommunications (Nitel, defunct)

National backbone network
Wireless Local Loop (WLL)

Globacom

Network infrastructure
Fibre optic backbone network
International presence
Services
International expansion

VGC Communications
National Long-Distance Operators (NLDO)
Fixed-wireless network operators

MTS First Wireless
Mobitel Nigeria
Prestel (O-Mobile)
Regional FWA operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
Backbone networks

National Information Infrastructure Backbone (NIIB)
Galaxy Backbone
Suburban Telecom
Phase3 Telecom
Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN)
Private networks

International terrestrial infrastructure

The Central African Backbone (CAB)
Nigeria – Niger link
Trans-Saharan Backbone
NNPC network

International submarine infrastructure

SAT-3/WASC
Glo-1
Main One
WACS
ACE
WASACE

Satellite

Rascom
NigComSat
O3b Networks

Data centres

Broadband market

Introduction and statistical overview

Market analysis
Internet Exchange Points (IXP)
National Broadband Plan
Broadband statistics
Forecasts – broadband subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks

Providers

Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed broadband services

Broadband over Powerlines (BPL)
Fixed wireless

Mobile communications

Market analysis
Mobile statistics

General statistics
Mobile voice
Mobile data
Mobile broadband
Forecasts – mobile subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023

Regulatory issues

GSM licence terms
Spectrum
Interconnection
Mobile tariffs
Unified licensing regime
Universal service
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Quality of Service
SIM card registration

Mobile infrastructure

International gateways
National mobile infrastructure plan
Tower infrastructure
Analogue networks
Digital networks
Other infrastructure developments

Major GSM mobile operators

MTN Nigeria
Bharti Airtel (formerly Zain/Celtel Nigeria)
Globacom
9Mobile (Etisalat Nigeria, EMTS, Mubadala)
M-Tel

Major CDMA mobile operators

Multi-Links Telkom
Reliance Telecommunications (Reltel, Zoom)
Starcomms (Capcom)
InterC Network (Intercellular Nigeria)
Visafone

Mobile content and applications

Mobile money transfer, m-banking
M-health

List of Tables

Table 1 – Country statistics – 2017 (e)
Table 2 – Fixed-line network statistics – 2017 (Mar)
Table 3 – Internet provider statistics – 2017
Table 4 – Internet user statistics – 2017 (e)
Table 5 – Mobile statistics – 2017
Table 6 – National telecommunications authority
Table 7 – Telecom sector contribution to GDP – 2010 – 2017
Table 8 – Financial bids for Nitel/M-Tel, first and second round – 2010
Table 9 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1999 – 2009
Table 10 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2010 – 2018
Table 11 – VoIP lines by operator – 2016 – 2017
Table 12 – Fixed-wireless lines by operator – 2014 – 2017
Table 13 – International internet bandwidth in Nigeria – 2001 – 2016
Table 14 – Historic - Internet users and penetration rate in Nigeria – 2000 – 2009
Table 15 – Internet users and penetration rate in Nigeria – 2010 – 2022
Table 16 – Fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2007 – 2018
Table 17 – Fixed-line / fixed wireless broadband subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2017
Table 18 – Fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023
Table 19 – Fixed and-fixed wireless broadband lines – 2007 – 2017
Table 20 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 – 2009
Table 21 – Mobile subscribers (active) and penetration rate – 2010 – 2018
Table 22 – Mobile market share of subscribers by operator (GSM) – 2011 – 2017
Table 23 – Prepaid mobile subscribers – 2010 – 2017
Table 24 – SMS traffic – 2006 – 2018
Table 25 – Mobile internet subscribers in Nigeria by operator (GSM) – 2012 – 2017
Table 26 – Active mobile broadband subscribers – 2010 – 2018
Table 27 – Forecast mobile subscribers in Nigeria – 2019; 2021; 2023
Table 28 – Annual outgoing mobile number portings – 2013 – 2017
Table 29 – GSM subscribers in Nigeria – 2014 – 2017
Table 30 – MTN mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2017
Table 31 – MTN Nigeria financial data – 2010 – 2017
Table 32 – MTN Nigeria revenue by type – 2015 – 2017
Table 33 – MTN Nigeria ARPU – 2002 – 2017
Table 34 – Airtel mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2017
Table 35 – Globacom mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2017
Table 36 – Etisalat mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2017
Table 37 – 9Mobile mobile revenue and capex – 2013 – 2017
Table 38 – CDMA subscribers by operator – 2011 – 2017
Table 39 – Historic - Starcomms mobile subscribers – 2005 – 2014
Table 40 – Visafone mobile subscribers – 2009; 2013 – 2017

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2005 – 2018
Chart 2 - Internet users and penetration rate in Nigeria – 2000 – 2022
Chart 3 – Mobile subscribers and penetration – 2005 – 2018

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Regional FWA licensees
Exhibit 2 – Regional FWA licensees in Nigeria

Related Reports

Purchase this Report

Contact BuddeComm

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Monitor critical insights with our AI-powered Market Intelligence Platform gathering and analyzing intelligence in real time. With AI trained to spot emerging trends and detect new strategic opportunities, our clients use TMT Intelligence to accelerate their growth.

If you want to know more about it, please see:

TMT Intelligence Platform

Research Methodology

BuddeComm's strategic business reports contain a combination of both primary and secondary research statistics, analyses written by our senior analysts supported by a network of experts, industry contacts and researchers from around the world as well as our own scenario forecasts.

For more details, please see:

Research Methodology

More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research

Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?

Hot Topics

News & Views

Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.

Unsubscribe

2018 Nigeria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Nigeria licenses two more InfraCos for wholesale broadband

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

Regulatory environment

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Broadband market

Mobile communications

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views