Nigeria's active telecom subscriptions have crossed the 200 million mark for the first time in two years, a milestone that follows the 2024 NIN-SIM enforcement, during which roughly 70 million phone lines were disconnected from the country's subscriber base. Even after the rebound, the total remains about 24 million lines short of the December 2023 peak of 224.7 million, underscoring how much of the pre-enforcement subscriber base has yet to return.

According to the latest industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), total telecom subscriptions rose by 2.9 million lines to 200.3 million in September 2026, up from 197.4 million in August 2026. The increase reflects the continued adoption of new SIM cards nationwide and the steady expansion of connectivity across the country.

The latest count marks a renewed phase of subscriber growth after the implementation of the NIN-SIM policy, which caused phone line connections to fall by approximately 70 million — from 224.7 million in December 2023 to 154.9 million in September 2024.

Under a December 2023 notice, the NCC directed MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile (now T2mobile) to bar SIM cards that had not been linked to their owners' National Identification Numbers (NINs) by February 28, 2024. A separate notice required Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operators to bar SIM holders whose NINs had been submitted but not verified by March 29, 2024, and to interdict those with fewer than five lines linked to an unverified NIN by April 15, 2024.

The policy traces back to December 16, 2020, when the federal government introduced the SIM-NIN synchronisation initiative, designed to enable security agencies to track criminals. The process involves validating each NIN with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and matching a subscriber's NIN records against SIM registration information to ensure proper identification.

As operators enforced widespread barring ahead of the July 31 final deadline, the move triggered subscriber outrage, prompting the NCC to order the immediate temporary reactivation of affected lines on July 29, 2024.

With subscriptions now back above 200 million, teledensity — the number of active telephone lines per 100 people — has increased from 91.07% to 92.41%.

In the latest industry update, MTN extended its lead by adding 2.1 million users in September 2026, bringing its total to 104.65 million — more than half of all active lines nationwide. Airtel remains second with 68.04 million subscribers after adding roughly 600,000 new users during the month. Globacom holds third place with 23.8 million active phone lines, following about 300,000 new subscribers. T2mobile (9mobile) has now remained dormant for three months, holding 3.6 million subscribers — the same count it recorded in July 2026.

If the telecommunications sector maintains its current average monthly expansion rate of approximately 1.27% (April to September) through the fourth quarter, active connected lines are projected to reach between 207.5 million and 208.2 million by December 2026. The projected increase is expected to be driven by seasonal holiday SIM activations, phone purchases and continued industry recovery. Whether T2mobile's dormant base moves again and how monthly growth tracks against that projection are among the data points to watch as the recovery plays out.