MTN Nigeria Tightens Grip on Fixed Broadband Market as Users Double

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYSeptember 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM UTC

TLDR

MTN Nigeria more than doubled its fixed broadband subscribers between May and July 2025, cementing its dominance in a market with almost no competition
The operator’s users grew from 14,424 in May to 29,314 in July, accounting for all of the sector’s gains
he company raised capital expenditure 159% year-on-year in Q1 2025, spending ₦202.4 billion ($134.5 million)

MTN Nigeria more than doubled its fixed broadband subscribers between May and July 2025, cementing its dominance in a market with almost no competition, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.

The operator’s users grew from 14,424 in May to 29,314 in July, accounting for all of the sector’s gains. The entire fixed broadband market rose from 14,599 to 29,489 users in the same period. Rival 21st Century Technologies has been stuck at 175 subscribers since May after falling sharply from 2,259 in April.

MTN’s growth follows heavy network investment. The company raised capital expenditure 159% year-on-year in Q1 2025, spending ₦202.4 billion ($134.5 million). By mid-year, total spend reached ₦565.7 billion ($377 million). MTN has rebranded its fibre service as FibreX, now available in 14 states, and is combining fibre rollout with 4G and 5G-based Fixed Wireless Access under its “Own-The-Home” strategy.

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Key Takeaways

Nigeria’s broadband penetration remains among the lowest in Africa, with fixed connections reaching less than 0.1% of the population compared to over 40% in South Africa and Kenya. Most Nigerians rely on mobile data, which has limited capacity for high-speed applications like streaming, remote work, and cloud services. The government has set an ambitious target of 70% broadband penetration by 2027 under its National Broadband Plan, but progress has been slow. MTN’s heavy investment, including partnerships with Airtel for infrastructure sharing, positions it as the main driver of expansion. Its strategy combines fibre-to-the-home in wealthier urban areas with Fixed Wireless Access to reach middle-income households in underserved regions. The absence of viable rivals, however, raises questions about market concentration and pricing power. If MTN continues to dominate without competition, regulators may face pressure to create incentives for new entrants or enforce policies to keep broadband affordable and widely accessible.

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