Nigeria · Consumer markets
Who gained and lost mobile numbers through switching in Nigeria
Nigeria’s telecom regulator recorded 1,603 mobile number transfers in September 2026. MTN had 437 more incoming than outgoing transfers, while T2 recorded 409 outgoing and zero incoming.
Sources checked
Incoming ports
Shared scale · -409 transfers to 854 transfers
Outgoing ports
Shared scale · -409 transfers to 854 transfers
Net ports
Shared scale · -409 transfers to 854 transfers
Switch measures to see the gross flows and net changes by operator. A negative net means more numbers transferred away than transferred in.
September’s traffic went in both directions
MTN recorded 854 incoming and 417 outgoing transfers. Airtel recorded 580 incoming and 373 outgoing. Globacom recorded 165 incoming and 404 outgoing, for a net outflow of 239 numbers. Source 1
The first nine months of 2026 had fewer recorded transfers
The regulator’s monthly totals add to 12,667 for January to September 2026 and 36,857 for the same months in 2025. September by itself was higher in 2026 than in 2025. The longer comparison gives a different view from the latest month. Source 1
Porting retains the existing phone number
The regulator describes the process as a transfer requested by a subscriber who wants to switch providers while keeping the same number. An incoming port for one operator is an outgoing port for another. Counting both directions would count the same transfer twice in a market total. Source 1
Net porting counts one channel of subscriber movement
New SIMs, inactive accounts and customers who switch by taking a new number are outside this transfer count. Use the porting table to compare number-retaining switches, then consult active-line data for the size of each operator’s subscriber base. Source 1