4G Market Penetration Slides as Telcos Move to Boost 5G Utilisation
Emma Okonji After maintaining market penetration lead with high subscriber utilisation across networks for close to four years, the market penetration of 4G suddenly dropped to 54.30 per cent in
In May 2026, Nigeria's 4G market penetration fell to 54.30 per cent, marking its first decline since 4G's commercial launch in 2022. 4G had held a steady lead in market share for nearly four years, following the introduction of 5G in 2022. At the end of December 2025, 4G's penetration stood at 52.95 per cent, while 5G held a mere 3.77 per cent market share.
In January 2026, 4G's penetration increased to 53.41 per cent, followed by 2G with 36.97 per cent and 3G with 5.67 per cent. In February 2026, 4G maintained its lead with 53.59 per cent, 2G at 36.87 per cent, and 3G at 5.49 per cent. In March 2026, 4G's penetration reached 53.76 per cent, 2G at 36.74 per cent, and 3G at 5.30 per cent.
April 2026 saw 4G's penetration peak at 54.41 per cent, with 2G at 35.93 per cent, 3G at 5.32 per cent, and 5G at 4.34 per cent. However, in May 2026, 4G's penetration dropped to 54.30 per cent, while 5G's increased to 4.49 per cent. Despite operators like Airtel and MTN intensifying efforts to boost 5G utilisation, 4G remained the most widely used technology among telecom subscribers for close to four years.
Written by urgent.news from This Day's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
