Posted by By OLA AGBAJE and AUGUSTINA TODO on
Glo Mobile, Africa's fastest growing telecommunication network, has overtaken MTN as the largest GSM network in Nigeria.
Glo Mobile, Africa's fastest growing telecommunication network, has overtaken MTN as the largest GSM network in Nigeria.
In its latest survey on mobile network operators in Africa and the Middle East, London based Cellular News, a leading wireless telecoms online publisher that focuses on the global mobile/cellular market, said the country's regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) has supplied new data on the market which showed that 'Glo Mobile is now credited with a larger share of the national total and in fact, market leadership."
Cellular News said: 'Since the last review of the region (Africa and the Middle East), there have been a number of adjustments to the data, most notably in Nigeria where the regulator has supplied new data on the market."
The report said Glo Mobile's Q2 numbers have been revised upwards to just over 15 million, enough to give it fourth place in the region last quarter, ahead of MTN Nigeria.
'As a result of this, the proportion of the region's customers connected to the ten market leaders has risen from around 43% to 47%," it said.
Cellular News said the numbers given by the Nigerian regulator, however, showed that there is a growing issue with inactivity in the country. 'Of the 46.2 million connections at the end of September, nearly 8 milliom - or 17% - were inactive," it said.
The report said, 'Glo Mobile which was sixth at the start of last year, but has apparently now overtaken MTN Nigeria as the market leader," occupies the fourth place on the list of the largest mobile network operators in the region. 'The list of the ten largest companies in the region is, once again, unchanged as far as constituents are concerned," said the report.
It listed the top 10 operators in Africa and the Middle East as Vodacom SA (22.5 million), TCI Iran (19.5 million), STC Saudi Arabia (15.8 million), Glo Mobile (over 15 million), MTN Nigeria (14.99 million), MTN South Africa (14.1 million), Mobinil (added 1.8 million new connections), Maroc Telecoms (12.8 million), Orascom Algeria (12.7 million), Vodafone Egypt 912.2 million).
The report said, 'MTN subsidiaries take both fifth and sixth place this quarter. MTN Nigeria is now the largest single unit within the group, ahead of MTN South Africa. The Nigerian company added nearly one million new connections to end the quarter with 14.99 million subscribers, while the South African company added 0.67 million, to reach a total of 14.1 million.
'Mobile ownership continues to spread across the region. At the end of June, there were over 60 networks with more than one million customers, three months later that number has risen to over 70, with many of these being multi-million operations.