Telecom
NCC puts Active Telecoms Subscribers in October @ 141m

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says that it recorded 140,766,653 active subscribers of the telecommunication networks in October as against 139,905,213 in September.
The telecommunications regulatory agency disclosed this in its Monthly Subscriber/Operator Data that was available on its website on Tuesday.
The active subscribers increased by 861,440.
According to the data, 140,350,383 of the 140,766,653 active numbers subscribe to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network services.
The GSM operators’ active customers’ figure increased by 863,551 in October, compared to 139,486,832 subscribers recorded in September.
The reports stated that out of the GSM operators, MTN had 50,720,702 users in October, showing an increase of 413,533 from the 50,307,169 it recorded in September.
Globacom’s figure increased in October by 68,954 with 37,418,933 customers, as against 37,349,979 in September.
Airtel had 35,089,690 subscribers in the month under review, which showed an increase of 463,946 users, from the 34,625,744 recorded in September.
9mobile recorded a drop in customers by 82,882 in October, giving a customer base of 17,121,058, as against 17,203,940 users in September.
The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators retained its September figure of 217,566 users in October.
Visafone which is one of the two surviving CDMA operators had 213,106 customers, while Multi-Links had 4,460 in the month under review.
The monthly subscriber/operator data showed that the Fixed Wireless network (landline) consumers remained at 26,865 in October.
One of the two landline networks, Visafone had 26,437 subscribers, while Multi-Links maintained its record of 428 customers.
It also revealed that the Fixed Wired operators (landline) subscriber base decreased by 4,854, coming down to 110,351 users in October, as against 115,205 recorded in September.
In the Fixed Wired arena, MTN Fixed moved from 8,233 users in September to 8,315 users in October, thereby increasing by 82 users.
Glo Fixed had 8,548 users in October, reducing by 4,485 customers from the September record of 13,033
IpNX network moved from 2,541 subscriber base in September to 2,551 in October, hence, its customers increased by 10.
It said that 21st Century Network had 90,937 customers in October, recording a decrease of 46 users from its September record of 91,398.
The report also showed that the two Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) networks had 61,488 active users in October, as their customers increased by 2,745, from their September subscriber base of 58,745.
Of the VOIP networks, Smile Communication had 57,877 customers, giving an increase of 2,527 users to its September result of 55,350.
Ntel had 3,611 consumers subscribing to its products and services in October, showing an increase of 216 users to the September record of 3,395.
The regulatory body said that Section 89, Subsection 3(c) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 mandated it to monitor and report the state of the telecommunications industry.
“The commission is mandated to provide statistical analyses and identify industry trends with regard to: services, tariffs, operators, technology, subscribers, issues of competition and dominance.
“This is with a view to identifying areas where regulatory intervention will be needed.
“The commission regularly conducts studies, surveys and produces reports on the telecommunications industry.
“Therefore, telecommunications operators are obligated, under the terms of their licenses, to provide NCC with such data on a regular basis for analytical review and publishing,” the report said.
Telecom
ngCERT Issues High Alert to Nigerians Using Android Phones

Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
Telecom
MTN and Ecobank Launch Chess Championship to Empower Nigeria’s Youth

MTN Nigeria is set to host the National Schools Team Chess Championship, Nigeria’s largest inter-school chess competition, scheduled to take place from June 26th to 28th, 2025, at the Ecobank Pan African Center in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The championship, organised in partnership with Ecobank and the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), aims to promote intellectual development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young Nigerians, while also identifying and nurturing future chess champions.
The championship is open to primary, secondary, and tertiary level students, and this year’s edition will host an impressive 1,600 students from 400 schools across 36 states and the FCT.
The competition will feature team-based play, with each team comprising four players from the same school. A significant prize pool of over N40 million is at stake, with winning schools also having the invaluable opportunity to represent Nigeria internationally.
Onyinye Ikenna Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at MTN Nigeria, expressed the company’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “Our investment is driven by our commitment to fostering youth development, just as our shared value initiative.
“By supporting, we not only contribute to the growth but also engage with the younger demographic in a meaningful way, as we believe we are good together”.
MTN’s sponsorship of the National Schools Team Chess Championship is a natural extension of its long-standing dedication to empowering young people through various initiatives in sports, education, and skill development, including programs like MTN Champs and MTN Campus Invasion.
The company aims to establish itself as the leading driver of youth empowerment, education, and strategic thinking through chess in Nigeria.
The event will also feature the presence of Tunde Onakoya, a renowned chess master and inspiration, who will join the championship week to share his experiences and further inspire the young participants.
His involvement underscores the profound impact strategic thinking can have on transforming lives and building dreams.
Telecom
NCC and Stakeholders Unite to Bridge Nigeria’s Rural Connectivity Gap

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has collaborated with the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders towards addressing challenges confronting rural network connectivity in Nigeria.
The collaboration resulted in a two-day workshop hosted in Abuja from June 3-4, 2025, to explore policy framework for enabling community networks towards bridging the digital divide and accelerating socio-economic development in Nigeria’s underserved and unserved communities.
The forum brought together regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign investors, among others, to examine policy and regulatory barriers, explore innovative funding mechanisms, ensure sustainable renewable solutions and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders.
Addressing participants at the workshop, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the workshop is important to bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and foster inclusive social economic development.
“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here which includes the regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign providers to address the critical challenges such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability and institutional monitoring,” said Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC at the event, Abraham Oshadami.
Maida said the workshop demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas. “At NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community center networks in achieving this important goal,” he said.
The EVC said NCC was committed to “this journey and views this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change,” stating that the expertise, perspectives and commitments will shape the future where every Nigerian, regardless of his or her status, will have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.
In her remarks, Co-manager of the Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Network (LocNet) initiative, Kathleen Diga, noted that the collaboration was to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion. “This is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities, opportunities that will remain in realising values of a diversified ecosystem.”
Diga said, “I believe this workshop presents a moment in time that we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, corporative among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled,” she said, adding emphasising the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists and they are grow throughout the global south, which, she said, are a “strategic response to digital exclusion.”
The workshop featured presentations from the NCC, the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders such as the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) all geared towards exploring a joint policy framework to address rural digital divide.
The Association for Progressive Communications is a 35-year-old international network member-based organisation encouraging digital inclusion in the unserved communities, particularly with communities in the global south and the workshop, through its LocNet initiative aimed at crafting an enabling inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria.
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