Telecoms operators activate 3.6m new SIMs as issued NIN hits 96.5m

• Nigeria has 321m connected lines with 118.6% teledensity
• Nokia selected by MTN for 5G services

Telecoms operators activated 3.6 million new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards in January, which has resulted in active telephone lines in the country moving from 222.5 million in December 2022 to 226 million a month after.

With this new development, connected telephone lines in Nigeria are now 322 million with teledensity now 118.5 per cent.

Teledensity is telephone connections per 100 people in a specified geographic area. Teledensity is often used to compare the level of access to voice and data communications services between metropolitan and rural areas, or between one country and another.

Subscription statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC), the January edition, released yesterday, showed that MTN increased its reach by servicing 91.1 million telecoms users with 40.71 per cent penetration; Airtel with 26.81 per cent market coverage, has 60.5 million subscribers.

Globacom is third with 60.3 million customers and 26.71 per cent national reach, while 9mobile maintained its 13 million customers and 5.77 per cent penetration.

Internet coverage showed that on the GSM platforms, 155.6 million are surfing the web, while via the Fixed Wired platform 16, 144; ISP (Wired/Wireless) 204,810 and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 348,236, which brings the total to 156.22 million.

Broadband coverage showed that Nigeria now has 48.2 per cent penetration with some 92 million Nigerians having access to the service.

MEANWHILE, the number of National Identity Numbers (NINs) issued to Nigerians by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) increased by 1.5 million in February as the figure rose from 95 million in January to 96.5 million one month after.

In the new data, 54.6 million (56.5 per cent) males and 41.9 million females, which is 43.5 per cent.

The highest cumulative enrolment figure of over 10.63 million was recorded in Lagos State. Kano is next with 8.4 million; Kaduna 5.7 million; Ogun 4.1 million; Oyo 3.8 million and Abuja 3.3 million.

Others are Katsina 3.3 million; Rivers 2.9 million; Bauchi 2.6 million and Delta 2.58 million. The bottom 10 states are Kogi 1.67 million; Akwa Ibom 1.65 million; Imo 1.62 million; Enugu 1.55 million; Yobe 1.46 million. Others are Taraba 1.42 million; Cross-River 1.10 million; Ekiti 990,463; Ebonyi 774,263 and Bayelsa 611,229.

According to NIMC, diaspora issuance is now 366, 164 with 156, 651 females and 209, 513 males.

IN a related development, Nokia has been selected by MTN South Africa (MTN SA) for the first time as one of its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment providers.

Under the deal, Nokia will modernise the existing 2G/3G/4G radio network and expand MTN’s 5G-radio network across 2800 sites in the Central and Eastern part of the country – driving digitalization across the African continent. MTN SA is part of MTN Group Limited, Africa’s largest mobile network operator with operations in 17 countries serving 272 million subscribers.

Nokia will provide equipment from its next-generation, energy-efficient AirScale portfolio – powered by its latest generation of ReefShark chipsets – including 5G AirScale baseband, massive MIMO active antennas and remote radio heads (RRH) covering all urban and rural scenarios. Nokia will also provide its Self-Organizing Networks (SON) solution for optimization and network assurance; ensuring MTN’s network continues to perform optimally. Nokia’s solutions will enable a superior 5G experience for mobile users with high bandwidth, ultra-fast speeds, and low latency.

As part of its commitment to South Africa, Nokia is also establishing a training program to drive digitalization in the country and across the African continent. Open to 5,000 applicants, the program will focus on product development as well as developing entrepreneurship. The program is aligned with the Finnish National Agency of Education and graduates will receive a diploma supporting further career opportunities.

MTN South Africa’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, Michele Gamberini, said: “We need next-generation technologies, such as Nokia’s AirScale portfolio to ensure that South Africa is a leader in the digital era across the African continent and globally. Our partnership with Nokia allows us to rapidly expand our 5G network so that our citizens and their businesses can leverage the digital economy and reap the benefits of a modern connected life.”