Among the four major telecom operators in Nigeria, Globacom was the only network that recorded an increase in its Internet subscriber base for the last quarter of 2015, according to an industry report.
In the latest report by the regulatory body, Globacom’s position as the preferred choice for Internet subscribers in the telecommunications industry was reaffirmed.
An analysis of the newly-published statistics showed that Globacom alone recorded an increase in its Internet subscriber base in the last quarter of 2015 with 23,285,454 Internet users in October, 24,952,559 in November and 25,082,066 in December, which is an addition of 3.2m new Internet subscribers for the quarter.
However, MTN, Airtel and Etisalat lost subscribers within the stipulated period.
While MTN had a total of 41,835,294 Internet subscribers at the beginning of October 2015, it recorded 39,924,737 data subscribers at the end of December — which is a loss of close to 2 million customers within the period under review.
In the same vein, Airtel kicked off the quarter with 17,730,955 Internet customers but closed with 16,835,952, making a loss totalling about 900,000 subscribers.
Etisalat, like MTN and Airtel lost 408,282 Internet customers, having started the quarter with 15,598,070 data and closing with 15,189,788.
Specifically, Globacom garnered the highest number of Internet users in September 2015, with 1,130,850 new Internet subscribers added on its network.
This increased the number of data-users on the network from 20,765,379 in August to 21,896,229 the following month.
The over-one million new additions was higher than the total number of new Internet consumers who joined the three other major telecom operators…namely MTN, Airtel and Etisalat, which collectively gained a total of 716,450 new Internet subscribers in September.
Globacom’s clear lead in new data subscriber acquisition has been viewed by industry watchers as an indication of its improved Internet service delivery and unmatched pricing policy.
The network has, in the last one year, announced that it significantly upgraded its data backbone.
The upgrade was enhanced by its extensive fibre-optic infrastructure spanning thousands of kilometres across Nigeria.
This is linked to the Glo 1 submarine cable that connects Nigeria to Africa, Europe, America and rest of the world.
Source: B&FT Online