Myriads of mobile network data subscribers in Nigeria are having reasons to stay offline despite
interventions for customer friendly services from the operators.
The latest data released by the industry regulator, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) indicated that the number of internet subscribers in the telecommunications space have further reduced to 92,446,687.
The industry regulator made the disclosure in its latest Monthly Internet Subscribers Data (MISD) for the month of November 2016.
The data indicated that internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks reduced by 759,683 in November.
It showed that of the 92.4 million internet users in November, 92,416,378 were on GSM networks, while 30,309 users were on CDMA networks. Also, the GSM service providers lost 759,683 internet customers after recording 92,416,378 users in November, as against 93,176,061 it recorded in October.
The CDMA operators had retained 30,309 internet subscribers in November as recorded in October 2016.
The data revealed that MTN had 32,017,779 subscribers browsing the internet on its network in the month under review. It said that MTN recorded a decrease of 447,000 internet subscribers in November, after recording 32,464,779 in October.
According to the data, Globacom has 27,122,892 customers surfing the net on its network in November, revealing a decrease of 62,660 users, from the 27,185,552 that surfed the internet on the network in October.
Airtel had 19,143,700 internet users in November, adding 311,462 customers to its October record of 18,832,238.
The data also showed that Etisalat had 14,132,007 customers who browsed the internet in November, revealing a decrease of 561,485 users against the 14,693,492 users recorded in October.
The NCC data revealed that the CDMA operators, Multi-Links and Visafone, had a joint total of 30,309 internet users on their networks in November, maintaining the same record of October.
According to the data, Visafone has 30,305 customers surfing the internet in November, while Multi-Links has just four internet users. The decrease in the use of the internet in November showed that service providers had a great job of ensuring that more Nigerians embrace data, as the next revolution.
According to Nigerians pulse on why more Nigeria goes offline “is not because they so wished but the network providers are not customer friendly. Nigerians are having issue with affordability and quality of service,” said a prepaid data user who base in Lagos.
A telecommunication analyst, Shehu Gbadamusi who however, buttressed the view that it is high time the industry regulator saw that operators are enjoying a favourable business environment in the country and at the same time Nigerians enjoy favour for their money.”
He added that has the year begins and schools and work places are settle for resumption there would be high demand for internet broadband and connectivity bandwidth both at the urban and hinterlands saying “Government and the commission should not relent toward achieving its target of 30% broadband internet penetration in the country by the year 2018.”
