Bharti Airtel is now Nigeria's second largest telecom operator

Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has become the second largest operator in Nigeria in terms of customer numbers, according to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the market regulator.

"It is a clear indication of the trust that a growing sector of the population have started to have in us. Nigeria continues to be a very competitive telecom market and our intention is to ensure that we continue to innovate and make life easier for our customers," Christian de Faria, Airtel Africa's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Since the launch in 2010, Airtel has invested over $1.7 billion to expand network capacity and deepen quality in Nigeria.

"We are extremely pleased that Nigerians are expressing confidence in our network and we will continue to excite and delight them with innovative and affordable mobile telecommunications solution," Airtel Nigeria's chief executive officer and managing director Segun Ogunsanya said.