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Nigerians spent N1.699 trillion on data services on the MTN Nigeria network in the first six months of 2026, highlighting the country’s growing dependence on digital connectivity for business, education, entertainment, financial services and communication.
The figure, contained in MTN Nigeria’s unaudited financial statements for the half-year ended June 30, 2026, represents a 38.3 per cent increase over the N1.229 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, highlighting the resilience of data demand despite prevailing economic challenges.
The report showed that MTN generated N873.8 billion from data services in the second quarter of 2026 alone, compared with N700 billion in the same period last year.
In line with the increase in spending, subscribers generated a massive 5,351.27 petabytes of network traffic during the six-month period, reflecting rising consumption of video streaming, social media, cloud computing, online gaming, digital banking, remote work and artificial intelligence-enabled applications.
The telecommunications giant also reported continued growth in its customer base. Its active wireless subscribers stood at 85.3 million on a 30-day basis and 92.2 million on a 90-day basis, while broadband subscribers rose to 1.97 million on a 90-day basis, demonstrating increasing adoption of high-speed internet services.
The strong data performance helped lift MTN Nigeria’s overall financial results during the period.
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According to the report, total revenue rose by 25.9 per cent to N2.99 trillion, from N2.38 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Operating profit climbed 41.9 per cent to N1.27 trillion, while profit before tax increased by 75.4 per cent to N1.09 trillion. Profit after tax also surged by 70.6 per cent to N707.54 billion, compared with N414.86 billion in the first half of last year. Earnings per share improved from N19.80 to N33.76.
The company’s financial position also strengthened significantly during the review period. Total equity rose by 69.6 per cent to N930.61 billion, while net assets per share increased from N26.18 to N44.41. MTN’s market capitalisation climbed by 40.9 per cent to N15.12 trillion as of June 30, 2026.
The report further indicated that MTN expanded its 5G coverage to 13.1 per cent of the population, up from 12 per cent in 2025, while active MoMo wallets grew from 3.8 million to 5 million, reflecting increasing adoption of digital financial services. Broadband penetration remained high at 91 per cent.
Industry observers say the figures reflect the rapid pace of Nigeria’s digital transformation, with consumers and businesses relying more heavily on internet services for commerce, education, entertainment and financial inclusion.
The report, however, covers data revenue generated by MTN Nigeria only and does not represent total data spending across the country’s telecommunications industry, which would require figures from other operators, including Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile.
