Though fewer users are actively connected to the internet, Nigeria’s data consumption has hit record levels, exposing a new usage trend driven by necessity.
The latest figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that data consumption reached 1.04 million terabytes in May 2025, the highest since official tracking began in January 2023.
This is an increase from April’s 983,283 terabytes and even surpasses January 2025’s earlier peak of 1 million terabytes.
According to a report by Techeconomy, what is driving this increase is certainly not more users. Internet subscriptions actually dropped in May. Total connections across mobile, fixed, wired, ISPs, and VoIP networks fell from 141.9 million in April to 141.5 million.
The reason is that the 50% price hike that telecom operators introduced in January 2025 is forcing many Nigerians to rethink their connectivity habits.
The NCC-approved increase pushed call rates from ₦6.40 to ₦9.60 per minute, SMS from ₦4 to ₦6 per message, and 1GB of data from ₦287.50 to ₦431.25.
For countless subscribers, this has meant hard choices. Many now favour flexible or weekly plans over monthly bundles. Secondary SIMs are being abandoned to cut costs.
Nonetheless, those who remain connected are using more data than ever. Average monthly data consumption per user soared to 9.86GB in May 2025, a 30.9% jump compared to the same month last year.
With smartphone penetration at 59% in cities and 26% in rural communities, data has evolved from a luxury to a necessity. Whether for video calls, streaming, online learning, or endless social media scrolling, Nigerians are now consuming heavier content.
However, not every operator is losing subscribers. MTN and 9mobile recorded notable declines. MTN, despite leading the market, lost 258,313 subscribers in May, while 9mobile shed 291,214 users. MTN’s base now stands at 90.2 million; 9mobile has declined to 2.6 million.
In contrast, Airtel added 342,597 subscribers, pushing its customer count to 58.9 million. Globacom remained flat, maintaining 20.6 million active lines. Nevertheless, MTN still controls over half the market, 52.33% to be exact, while Airtel holds 34.17%, Glo 11.96%, and 9mobile trails with just 1.55%.
These subscription declines also dragged down Nigeria’s overall teledensity to 79.65% in May from 79.78% in April. Teledensity, based on a population estimate of 216 million, indicates the ratio of active lines to people in the country.
Meanwhile, the country’s telecom sector is attracting record investment. In 2025 alone, Nigeria secured $1.15 billion in data centre and cloud infrastructure funding.
This includes MTN’s $285 million Tier III Dabengwa Data Centre, Kasi Cloud’s $250 million hyperscale facility, and OADC’s $240 million AI-ready campus in Lagos. These facilities aim to localise data, reduce latency, and bolster Nigeria’s push for digital sovereignty.
Still, the price competition between mobile data and fixed broadband is changing internet access. Providers like FibreOne, Spectranet, and Starlink lost over 18,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2025.
Hardware costs, combined with tariff hikes, are pushing consumers towards cheaper mobile alternatives. As it stands, mobile operators now handle over 99% of Nigeria’s internet traffic.
Nigeria’s telecom sector is shrinking in subscriber bases but growing in data consumption. Mobile data revenue is projected to hit $13.4 billion by the end of 2025. The broader telecom market, valued at $9.52 billion this year, is expected to reach $11.97 billion by 2030.
