•Broadband users fall by 2.73m

Current economic headwind has found expression in the telecommunications sector as subscriptions to voice, internet and broadband services dropped significantly in the last one month.

According to the August edition of data released by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), broadband penetration dropped by 1.44 per cent, as operators in that segment of the market lost 2.73 million users. The figure dropped from 89.7 million to 86.9 million within a month.

In the voice segment, users dropped by 145,026. As of July, the figure, which was 220.6 million, dropped to 220.7 million, with teledensity dropping from 115.70 per cent to 115.63 per cent in August.

Internet users via GSM platforms also nosedived, with service providers losing 507,621 users. The figure dropped from 158,982,962 in July to 158,475,341 in August.

Telecoms expert, Kehinde Aluko, blamed the decline in mobile subscriptions on impact of the country’s economic crisis, and low disposable income, which has caused decline in the purchasing power of average Nigerians.