Emma Okonji
The share of subscribers utilising telecommunications companies per numerous cell phone generations presently being deployed in Nigeria, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G applied sciences, has continued to widen with 4G and 2G main in phrases of share share and market penetration, regardless of the hype that accompanied 5G rollout in 2022.
According to the newest statistics launched by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), whereas 4G tops the chart with 54.77 share market share, 2G is second on the chart with 36.05 share market share as at August 2026.
NCC information positioned 5G in third place on the chart, with a share market share of 4.92, adopted by 3G as fourth place on the chart with a share market share of 4.27 as at August 2026.
During the rollout of 5G companies in September 2022 by MTN and in June 2023 by Airtel, the operators raised the hopes of telecoms subscribers, with numerous guarantees that the superior 5G expertise would lengthen the attain and capability of operator’s information community in Nigeria and allow a lot quicker speeds and decrease latency, giving clients near-instant entry to the issues they care about and downloads that take seconds, as an alternative of minutes.
Both MTN and Airtel additionally promised that inside one yr of rollout, the penetration of 5G expertise should have unfold to all elements of the nation, giving subscribers higher expertise in phrases of knowledge utilization, obtain velocity and voice readability.
But 4 years down the road, for the reason that first rollout of 5G in 2022, its market penetration degree has continued to pull for apparent causes, which embody the lack of MTN and Airtel to rollout the 5G expertise as quick as they supposed, citing excessive price of 5G tools that’s priced in greenback denomination, together with the restricted variety of 5G enabled units obtainable to Nigerians to hook up with the 5G community.
From the NCC’s statistics, 5G penetration degree has remained abysmally low from inception, as 2G and 4G penetration ranges proceed to unfold quicker, a sign that extra subscribers nonetheless utilise the 2G and 4G applied sciences, even if they’re older types of applied sciences that have been launched a number of years earlier than the launch of the superior 5G expertise in Nigeria.
But even at that, the world has superior to 6G expertise that has been described as the subsequent sport changer in the worldwide expertise area.
According to NCC information, as at January 2026, 4G penetration was 53.41 per cent, adopted by 2G with 36.97 per cent and 3G penetration was 5.67 per cent, whereas 5G penetration was 3.94 per cent.
In February 2026, 4G nonetheless topped the chart with 53.59 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.87 per cent penetration degree, and 3G had 5.49 per cent penetration degree, whereas 5G had 4.06 per cent penetration degree.
In March 2026, 4G additionally maintained lead place with 53.76 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.74 per cent penetration degree, and 3G had 5.30 per cent penetration degree, whereas 5G had 4.20 per cent penetration degree.
In April 2026, 4G, once more topped the chart with 54.41 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 35.93 per cent penetration degree, and 3G had 5.32 per cent penetration degree, whereas 5G had 4.34 per cent penetration degree.
In May 2026, 4G additionally maintained the lead place with 54.30 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.12 per cent penetration degree, and 3G had 5.10 per cent penetration degree, whereas 5G had 4.49 per cent penetration degree.
In June 2026, 4G additionally topped the chart with 54.31 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.22 per cent penetration degree, and 3G had 4.86 per cent penetration degree, whereas 5G had 4.61 per cent penetration degree.
In July 2026, 4G additionally maintained the lead place with 54.31 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.54 per cent penetration degree, and 5G had 4.74 per cent penetration degree, whereas 3G had 4.42 per cent penetration degree.
In August 2026, 4G continued with the lead place of 54.77 per cent penetration degree, adopted by 2G with 36.05 per cent penetration degree, and 5G had 4.92 per cent penetration degree, whereas 3G had 4.27 per cent penetration degree.
