Mobile phone subscriber base increases, teledensity now 110%, internet penetration 44.56%
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
There are now 210 million mobile telephone subscribers across the length and breadth of the country, with a teledensity of 109.99 per cent, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
NCC Executive Chairman Umar Dambatta disclosed in Kano the figures are as of August 2022.
Dambatta, represented by NCC Consumer Affairs Deputy Director Banji Ojo, said internet subscribers surpass 152.2 million with a broadband penetration of 44.56 per cent.
“Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is not the only fastest growing industry but it is also an important enabler of innovation and development,” he added, according to the News Agency of (NAN), per reporting by The Nation.
“The telecommunication sector is a strategic driver of the digital economy, especially in the activities of small and medium enterprises across Nigeria and beyond.”
The NCC has embarked on digital literacy training for entrepreneurs in the six zones to equip small scale business owners with skills to generate ideas for exportable products and services, Dambatta added.
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Telephone device imports cost $2.35b in 3 years
Chinese telephone devices, especially Tecno brands, remain dominant as Nigerians spent $2.35 billion on phone imports in a data covering three years compiled by the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The report shows the import sums as
- 2019 – $807.95 million
- 2020 – $765.57 million
- 2021 – $772.25 million
The items included smartphones, facsimile machines for line telephony, teleprinters, and parts of telephone sets.
The data shows most of the imported phones were from China ($1.71 billion), Hong Kong, Sweden, the United States, Netherlands, Vietnam, and Mexico.
The NCC has disclosed about 63 million tech devices are sold in Nigeria yearly, quoting data from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
The NCC said there were about 132 million unique devices on telecom networks in 2020 with the average owner changing a device every six months.
Bodds IT Solutions Managing Partner Emmanuel Osho said Nigerians spend a lot on devices and the market grows larger every year.
“An average person in their 20s and 30s has like two or three devices which include laptops, phones, and others. To be honest, the market could run into billions,” he added.
“The second-hand product is larger because of the low purchasing power of the market. Ideally, the majority of the buyers of new devices are organisations.”