National telecommunications solutions provider, Globacom, has netted the highest  data penetration  among subscribers of all telecom operators in  Nigeria, hence consolidating its position as the industry’s market leader in data.

An industry report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), spanning the first three months of year 2017  indicated that Globacom had a total number of 27,021,200 internet users on its network which is 72% of the total number of 37,328,827 subscribers on the network at the end of the quarter.

Globacom’s record of  72% figure exceeds  the industry average of 59%.  The entire telecommunications industry in  the nation boasts of about  90,003,101 internet users as at the end of  Quarter1 against   a total of 152,216,763 subscribers in the industry.

Etisalat came next on the data count with  68% or 13,008,481 data users out of a total subscriber base of 19,621,806, while Airtel was third with 56% internet usage with a  total data subscriber base of 19,423,760 as at March, 2017. The company had a total 34,656,605 subscribers on its network.

MTN brought the rear   in comparison with the total number of subscribers using the network. A total 30,519,351 or 51% of its 60,391,959 customers subscribed to its data services.

An account of performances in  the last two years showed that Globacom has stood firm as  the preferred network for data services adding half a million subscribers to its internet base in the last one year.

The company’s steady rise is commendable when factored against  the shrinking number of internet users in  the industry within the last one year. The entire figure came to 92,409,962 as at March, 2016 and dwindled to 90,003,101 by March, 2017 with MTN and Etisalat recording  losses, having shed 2,837,244 and 2,234,375 data customers respectively during the period under review.