In the ever-evolving landscape of communication technology, one might assume that traditional Short Message Service (SMS) would take a back seat to the flourishing realm of internet-based messaging platforms.

Yet, a recent report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that telecommunications giants in the country, including MTN, GlobalCom, Airtel, 9Mobile, and Smile Communications, collectively reaped N53.6 billion in revenue from SMS during the year 2022.

The NCC’s latest annual report divulged that an astounding 14.08 billion text messages traversed these networks in the course of the year. At a fixed rate of N4.00 per message sent, this figure translates to a staggering N56.3 billion, highlighting the substantial revenue stream the operators continue to enjoy from providing the service.The data also reveals a remarkable 48.8% surge in the number of text messages exchanged by subscribers in the span of just one year. This leap saw a shift from 9.46 billion SMS in 2021 to an impressive 14.08 billion in 2022.

Correspondingly, the volume of text messages received experienced an 11.06% boost to reach 11.8 billion, ultimately culminating in a combined tally of 25.9 billion SMS sent and received during the year.