Follow Us on Google
Nigeria’s appetite for internet data has reached an unprecedented milestone, even as millions of subscribers exit telecom networks due to rising costs.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), data consumption soared to 1.1 million terabytes in July 2025, the highest ever recorded. The surge comes just two months after the country first crossed the one-million-terabyte threshold in May, when 1.04 million terabytes were consumed.
The NCC attributed the spike to more Nigerians migrating to faster networks. “The percentage of internet users on 4G increased to 50.85 per cent in July, while 5G subscriptions rose to 3.17 per cent. Conversely, 3G dropped sharply to 7.38 per cent,” the Commission reported.
However, while Nigerians are consuming more data, the total number of internet subscriptions is shrinking. Industry statistics show subscriptions across mobile, fixed wired, ISP, and VoIP services dropped to 138.7 million in July from 141.1 million in June.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, bore the brunt of this decline, with combined subscriptions falling from 140.6 million to 138.2 million.
The biggest hit came from Airtel, which shed 2.4 million active lines in one month, plunging from 58.9 million in June to 56.5 million in July. MTN lost 106,345 lines, settling at 89.1 million subscribers, while Globacom dropped 143,701, leaving it with 20.7 million. Only 9mobile posted marginal gains, though it remains a distant fourth with just 1.61 per cent market share.
Despite these losses, MTN retained its market dominance with 52.70 per cent share, followed by Airtel at 33.42 per cent, Globacom at 12.26 per cent, and 9mobile trailing behind.
The shrinking customer base has also dragged down Nigeria’s teledensity — the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants — from 79.22 per cent in June to 78.11 per cent in July.
Yet, for operators, the paradox of declining subscribers but rising data demand presents both an opportunity and a challenge. While increased usage boosts revenue, it also puts enormous pressure on network infrastructure.
Acknowledging this reality, Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, said:
“There has been an exponential explosion of data usage across Nigerian cities, particularly Lagos, as rapid urbanisation, digitisation, and mobile-first lifestyles continue to drive bandwidth consumption at unprecedented rates.”
He noted that to keep pace with this demand, Airtel is ramping up investments in next-generation networks. “We are investing heavily to accelerate the deployment of 5G in the country,” Balsingh said.
As Nigerians continue to demand faster connectivity while grappling with higher tariffs, following the recent 50 per cent price hike by all operators, the telecoms sector faces a defining test: how to expand infrastructure fast enough to power the country’s digital future without losing more customers to affordability constraints.
