How MTN Dominated Nigeria’s Mobile Internet Market in 2024

A report by nPerf, a French company that measures internet connectivity globally, has revealed significant developments in Nigeria’s mobile internet market, with MTN solidifying its position as the market leader.

The nPerf Barometer report, covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, highlighted the performance of MTN, Airtel, and Globacom for the year, measuring key performance indicators (KPIs), which include download speed, upload speed, latency, and video streaming.

According to the report, MTN led in both overall performance and the critical 4G focus area.

How the operators faired
nPerf, which measures the internet speed of networks globally, noted that for the period analyzed, MTN stood out as the market leader, having achieved a notable performance score.

“Not only does MTN excel in Download speed, Upload speed, and Latency, but it also leads in Video streaming.

“MTN dominates the 4G focus area, reinforcing its pioneering position in the mobile technology sector. Significant improvements include a remarkable enhancement in Upload speed,” it said.

According to the report, Airtel while not the market leader, demonstrated excellence in specific categories.
With a strong performance in browsing and video streaming, Airtel secured its place as a key player in the market.
“The operator’s contributions are vital to the market’s competitiveness, and its focus on enhancing user experience is evident,” nPerf stated.

The report noted that Globacom is also making steady progress with notable improvements in its overall score.

“Glo has shown improvements in various areas, contributing positively to the market’s dynamics,” it said.

Methodology
To get the operators’ internet performance, nPerf said it utilized extensive tests conducted during both busy hours (6 PM to 11 PM) and idle hours, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of user experiences.

“Busy hours, marked by network strain, can impact user experience through congestion. This approach helps in understanding how network performance fluctuates throughout the day,” it said.

Indicating why the fourth mobile network operator, 9mobile, was not included in the report, nPerf said: “We only include national Internet service providers with test share above 5% share.”

What you should know
Going by the latest data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN accounted for 51.09% of the mobile market in Nigeria as of October 2024.

Airtel came second with a 34.61% share of the market, while Globacom accounts for 12.15% share of the market.
This left the fourth operator, 9mobile with only 2.15% market share.
In terms of internet customers, MTN also dominates the market with 69.5 million subscriptions as of October 2024, while Airtel recorded 45.7 million subscriptions.
Globacom’s internet subscriptions for the period stood at 17.1 million while 9mobile had 2.1 million subscriptions.

Nairametrics