Globacom, once a bold innovator in Nigeria’s telecom space, is now facing its toughest moment yet. According to new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Glo’s market share has dropped to a record 11.9% as of April 2025, after losing over 108,000 subscribers in just one month.
This is a steep fall from early 2024, when Glo claimed 27% of the market. This figure was later revised down after tighter definitions for active lines exposed inflated numbers.
Years of poor service quality, slow response to outages, and a crisis in leadership have shaken user confidence. Between January and May 2025, Glo experienced 45 major network outages. Some outages lasted days, while rivals like MTN restored service within hours.
Frustrated users are walking away. In April alone, 1,233 subscribers ported out, while MTN added nearly 3 million new users during the same period.
Glo’s problems go deeper than technical failures. Industry insiders point to weak corporate governance as a root cause. The company has long operated under the close control of founder Mike Adenuga, with little room for executive autonomy. A brief attempt at reform with the appointment of veteran telecom executive Ahmad Farroukh as CEO collapsed within a month over reported internal conflicts.
Without urgent reforms, analysts warn Glo’s decline could further concentrate market power in the hands of MTN and Airtel. This raises the risk of a telecom duopoly that could hurt competition and consumer choice.
