Nigeria will require more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to achieve the target of 70% broadband penetration by 2025 at the current implementation rate of the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025).
Surprisingly, more companies have recently expressed interest in operating in this telecommunications industry sector.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has licensed over 40 new Internet Service Providers (ISPs) this year alone, including Elon Musk’s Starlink. The new licensees have increased the country’s total number of ISPs to 238 as of December this year, with more expected in the coming year.
To clarify, ISPs, who operate in a different license domain than mobile network operators, primarily serve corporate organizations and homes, as opposed to MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, which target the entire spectrum of internet users in the country.
It is not surprising, then, that while MNOs have over 150 million active subscriptions, ISPs have hundreds of thousands of subscribers. According to NCC data, the total connected subscribers of the ISPs stood at 415,099 as of Q3 2022. However, only 49% (204,810) of these subscribers were active.
While some newly licensed ISPs have yet to begin operations, NCC data for Q3 2022 shows 102 active ISPs in terms of customer numbers and points of presence in the country.
The top ten ISPs in Nigeria based on active subscribers as of Q3 2022 are listed below:
10. Dotmac Technologies Ltd
Established in 2008 as an ICT company with a wide range of services, Dotmac Technologies Ltd is one of the leading Internet Service Providers covering Lagos and Abuja. The company is delivering broadband internet via Fiber to the Home Technology.Â
As of Q3 2022, its connected customers stood at 1,968. However, 1,608 of them were active. The company had 27 points of presence in both Lagos and Abuja. Â
9. Radical Technology Network Ltd
Radical Technology Network Ltd is a Nigerian ISP headquartered in Lagos with offices in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Onitsha. The company has maintained the highest levels of customer responsiveness and service quality over the years. This characteristic has earned it a long-standing relationship with its customers and made it one of Nigeria’s most dependable ISPs.
As of Q3 2022, the ISP had 2,641 customers subscribed to its service, with 1,945 active. The company had six points of contact.
8. Cobranet Limited
Launched in 2003, Cobranet Limited is rated as a leading Internet Service and data provider in Nigeria. The company provides every segment of Nigerian society with a reliable and secure Internet Service and Data management solution for the digital universe.Â
Cobranet currently offers corporate internet plans for organizations and medium-sized businesses over a state-of-the-art -radio network in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, as well as residential plans. As of Q2 2022, the company had 3,609 subscribers, and all of them are active, thus achieving 100% customer activeness. The company had a presence in 85 locations.Â
7. Cyberspace Network Limited
Cyberspace was founded in 1995 and began operations as a wholly-owned Nigerian company the following year. With its state-of-the-art and world-class internet protocol (IP) infrastructure, the company has distinguished itself as a complete network and software solution provider in the industry, with a mission to provide excellent value-added ICT services and cutting-edge networking solutions.
In 2014, the company launched its 4G LTE network infrastructure, promising customers 10x more speed, mobility, and security. According to the NCC’s database, Cyberspace had 4,260 connected customers as of Q3 2022, with all of them actively subscribed. The ISP has 138 locations across Nigeria.
6. Suburban Broadband Ltd
Suburban Broadband Ltd is a next-generation multimedia service provider with fibre optics networks in major cities in Nigeria, including Lagos and Abuja. Its products include subscription access to premium content, TV, Internet, and Voice services, as well as connected homes, security, and utility management solutions.Â
The company had 6,354 connected customers and 4,349 were active. It had only 6 points of presence.Â
5. VDT Communications
VDT is a licensed Private Network service provider that specializes in providing Enterprise-Wide Area Network (WAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) link connectivity through the use of Fiber Optic and Wireless Communication infrastructure and access networks. VDT is a Broadband communication service provider to corporate organizations, with leased Fiber Optic trunks to thirty-six (36) Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where they have 59 Points-Of-Presence (POP) and a complement of technical support staffers.
According to NCC data, VDT had 12,767 connected subscribers and 7,294 active users as of Q3 2022.
4. IPNX
ipNX occupies the third position regarding customer numbers among licensed ISPs in Nigeria. The company is one of the country’s fastest-growing ISPs, serving many needs across enterprises, small businesses, and residents with innovative, world-class services.Â
As a pioneer and a leading Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) operator in Nigeria, IPNX as of Q3 this year had 18,068 connected subscribers, while 13, 104 of those customers were active. Its points of presence were in 53 locations.Â
3. Astramix Limited
Astramix Limited is a provider of uninterruptible data and internet broadband that is fast and dependable. According to the company, it employs first-rate communication technology and offers the most dependable, uninterruptible, and efficient top-of-the-line data solutions on the market.
The ISP is expanding its markets and operational bases to provide uninterrupted connectivity to Nigeria’s business and private sectors, using Grade A brands as its exclusive sources of airtime, hardware, and technology.
Astamix, which was ranked fourth in the Q2 ISP rankings, jumped to third as it gained more active customers. As of Q3 2022, it had 15,040 connected customers, all of whom were actively connected. The company had five points of contact.
2. Tizeti
Tizeti provides high-speed broadband internet to residences, businesses, events, and conferences, as well as public Wi-Fi hotspots in Africa. The company is leveraging Wi-large Fi’s wireless capacity and the falling cost of solar panels to build a low CAPEX/OPEX network of owned and operated towers to provide disruptive, customer-friendly pricing for unlimited internet service across Africa.
According to the NCC’s database, the company is Nigeria’s second-largest ISP in terms of subscriber numbers. Tizeti had 39,410 total connected subscribers as of Q3 2022, with 18,243 of those customers active. The ISP had presence in 131 different locations.
 1. Spectranet
Spectranet remained the number one ISP in Nigeria with the largest customer base, with a large margin ahead of the competition in terms of active subscribers. Spectranet, which was licensed in 2009 to promote Internet services throughout Nigeria, was one of the first Internet Service Providers to launch 4G LTE internet service in Nigeria and aspires to be a leader in the Internet Services space.
According to the most recent data on the NCC’s website, this company had the most connected and active customers of any ISP licensed by the NCC. While the company has 287,075 connected customers, it has 115,103 active customers. The company had a presence in 648 locations throughout Nigeria.
