By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
MTN is 11.8 percentage points clear of its closest rival in market share among Nigeria’s 192 million active telecom subscribers, the network carrier still relentless in its dominance stretching back two decades.
It was the first to pitch tent when Nigeria deregulated telecom in 2001, immediately trailed that year by Airtel (then called Econet) and later by Globacom and 9mobile – now the quartet of biggest telecom players in Africa’s biggest economy.
Most Nigerians surf the worldwide web on their smartphones which helps generate revenue for the mobile operators.
Latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reported by Nairametrics shows that MTN has the largest market share with 39.5 per cent; next are Globacom (27.7 per cent), Airtel 26.3 (per cent), and 9mobile (6.5 per cent).
Below is a review of the operators based on market share and market penetration, as done by Nairametrics.
Comparison of data bundles and call plans
MTN
MTN is Nigeria’s premier provider of connectivity, communication, and business collaboration solutions. It is the largest privately owned mobile operator in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
It leads mobile operators in Nigeria with 62,843,182 customers and 39.5 per cent market share.
Data plans
MTN offers many options for data plans which cost as low as N50 for 40MB daily and as high as N450,000 for 4.5TB yearly.
MTN also has various bundles for social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Opera, and WhatsApp which cost as low as N25 for 20MB.
Voice call plans
MTN voice call plans vary from 11.26K/second for Trutalk to 36.00K/second for YAFUN YAFUN.
Globacom
Glo Mobile (Globacom), a multinational firm, was founded on August 29, 2003 by Mike Adenuga.
It is the first single company to build a high-capacity submarine fibre-optic cable, popularly known as Glo-1. Glo has a market share of 27.7 per cent with 39 million customers.
Data plans
Glo data plans range from N50/50MB daily to N100,000/1TB yearly.
There are packages for social media platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, Telegram, and Youtube that go for 25/100MB (one day).
Voice calls
Glo offers different plans for voice calls as low as 11k/second.
Some plans offer seven times the value of every recharge. For example, a recharge of N100 gives a N700 bonus, with N400 for voice calls to any network and N300 for data.
Airtel
Airtel ranks among the top three mobile service providers in terms of subscribers, with a customer base of more than 39 million and 26.3 per cent market share.
Its product offerings include 2G, 3G, and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, home broadband, and enterprise services.
Voice call
Airtel voice calls range from as low as 11.00K/second SMART PREMIER to 50K/second SMART CONNECT (which comes only with new SIMs).
Data plans
Airtel offers low cost data plans of N50/40MB daily. Monthly plans come with a YouTube package – for example, N1,000/1.5GB comes with 2GB YouTube night streaming (30 days).
Airtel offers bundles for social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, opera.
9mobile
9mobile has more than six million users and 6.5 per cent market share.
It has taken a leading role in exceptional Customer Experience, Quality of Service, and Innovation.
Innovation is not just a buzzword at 9mobile, it is about bringing meaning into lives, relentlessly pushing the frontiers to find new ways to solve everyday challenges.
Voice calls
Voice call rates cost as low as 11k/second and as high as 40k/second. SMS go for between N4 and N25.
Data plans
Data plans cost between N50/25MB (one day) up to N100,000/365GB (365 days).
Social media bundles are available for as low as N50 for WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter.
Users’ experiences
Users’ experiences with the different network operators vary based on geographical location and type of gadget, according to Nairametrics.
MTN is the best network as it has a wider coverage and is easily accessible in urban and most rural areas.
Airtel is another good network provider. It does not have the same coverage extent as MTN but its data plans and call tariffs are very affordable.
Glo offers cheap and affordable data plans and bonuses on calls.
9mobile data plans are more expensive than those of others and has lower coverage.