Globacom has emerged as the second biggest Global System for Mobile, GSM, Communications company in Nigeria by number of subscribers with 27.32 per cent market share.
Industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission showed that Globacom displaced Airtel, which now owns 26.73 per cent market share.
As of January 2021, Globacom has 1.169 million more subscribers than Airtel.
However, MTN Nigeria remains the biggest network provider in the country with 39.54 per cent market share while the fourth mobile network operator, 9mobile, holds 6.41 per cent market share.
The January statistics showed that MTN had 79.04 million customers, Globacom had 54.59 million subscribers, Airtel 53.43 million network users and 9mobile 12.81 million subscribers.
There has been a struggle between the two major network operators in the country, to clinch and sustain the position of the second biggest telco in Nigeria.
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In the past year, analyses of the data obtained from the NCC indicated that Globacom was the second largest telecoms service provider from January to June before Airtel’s subscribers surpassed Glo in July.
From July to December, Airtel sustained the position of the second telecoms operator.
Meanwhile, subscriber’s growth has been affected by the National Identity Number-SIM integration policy that is being aggressively pursued by the Federal Government since last year December.
In order to allow subscribers to incorporate their unique identity numbers into SIM records, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Dr Isa Pantami, also suspended the activation of new SIM cards and replacement of lost or damaged ones.
In addition, subscribers were not allowed to port to other networks.
NCC data showed that these directives have led to a depletion in number of subscribers by 7.67 million in December last year and January 2021.
