Globacom, an indigenous telecommunications service provider, has lost 42 million of its Nigerian active subscribers in the last eight months.

This customer base decline between February and September occurred as a result of the deactivation subscriber identification modules (SIMs) that were not linked to the national identity numbers (NINs), according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

As of February, Glo boasted 62,103,201 subscribers. By removing inactive customers, it is now left with 19,152,907 customers, representing a 69.1% cut from its customer strength.

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Although Globacom suffered the most decline, major telecoms companies such as the MTN, Airtel and 9mobile also have their own share of the reduction.

“The removal of Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) that are not linked to verifiable National Identification Numbers (NINs) and the rectification of a major discrepancy by a Mobile Network Operator explain the significant drop in Nigeria’s telecoms subscriber base,” said the NCC in a report published on Tuesday.

WHERE OTHER TELECOMS STAND

Nigeria now has 154,634,436 active SIM users. When compared to 219,683,240 that the country had in February, this means 65,048,804 users have been removed from the national database.

An analysis of the NCC’s data indicated that MTN’s loss was minimal compared to other companies. Currently, it has a customer base of 78,097,681 from the previous 80,895,695 seen in February, translating to a 3.5% reduction in its customer base.

Meanwhile, 9mobile, a telecom recently acquired by LH Telecommunication Limited, has lost majority of its subscriber base, leaving it with 3,635,160 from the February record of 13,648,177 users. This reduction in a percentage figure is 73%.

Another national service provider affected by this cut is Airtel. The company has just lost 14.7% of its total customer base. According to the data, it is left with 53,748,688 users against its 63,036,167 recorded last February.

Overall, these cuts directly affected the market share of each of these companies. MTN remains the dominant market leader with 50% share, followed by Airtel’s 34%, Glo’s 14% and 9mobile’s 2%.

The industry regulator recently announced the completion of the execution of its NIN-SIM linkage policy, which intended to enhance national security and ensure every SIM card owner is identifiable.

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In July, FIJ reported that the NCC directed telecoms to suspend the barring of citizens’ lines over failure to comply with the linkage policy.

The NCC’s directive was informed by the chaos caused by some angry customers who had started attacking telecoms’ staff and property in some states.