Encomium
Next generation network, Globacom, has outclassed other telecom operators by garnering an overwhelming three quarter of all new internet subscribers in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2016.
According to a report by the industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), covering the first three months of the year, Globacom added 1,448,354 new internet subscribers on its network during the period. The operator acquired 354,178 new internet subscribers in January, 248,593 in February and 845,583 in March, bringing its total internet customers as at the end of the quarter to 26,530,420.
Globacom’s cumulative figure of 1,448,354 for the three months under review represents 80 percent of the total number of 1,820,651 new customers who subscribed to internet services of the four major telecom operators in the first quarter of this year.
On its part, Airtel recorded 319,229 new data subscribers for the three months, while Etisalat added 53,068 new internet users to its network during the period. The combined figure for the two companies makes up the remaining 20 percent of the total figure of 1,820,651 new internet subscribers for the quarter.
In contrast, MTN which started the quarter with 39,924,737 data customers ended it with 33,356,595. This indicates a massive loss of over 6.5 million internet subscribers in just three months.
Globacom has been recording steady growth in the area of internet services in the last one year. January 2016 statistics which showed how the major operators fared over the previous 12 months revealed that Glo added a total of 7,251,657 new internet users during the period.
Etisalat placed second with a total of 5,431,190 new internet customers, while Airtel finished third with 961,548 new data customers in the 12 months period. On the other hand, MTN recorded a net loss of 1,059,160 data subscribers during the period.
