Nigerians consumed a record volume of internet data in the first half of 2026, driving an estimated ₦3.67 trillion in spending and underscoring the country’s rapid shift toward a data-driven digital economy.
According to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), total internet data usage reached 8.52 million terabytes (TB) between January and June 2026. This marks a sharp rise from approximately 5.96 million TB in the same period of 2025 — an increase of roughly 43%.
Using a benchmark average price of ₦431 per gigabyte, the H1 2026 volume converts to about 8.52 billion GB and yields the ₦3.67 trillion estimate.
The comparable figure for H1 2025 was around ₦2.57 trillion, meaning Nigerians spent roughly ₦1.1 trillion more on data year-over-year. Note that this is an industry estimate based on volume and an average price point; actual revenue reported by operators and alternative price assumptions can produce different totals.
Monthly consumption trended upward, climbing from 1.39 million TB in January to 1.53 million TB in June. The June 2026 figure alone was nearly 47% higher than June 2025. Broadband subscriptions also expanded, rising from 115.04 million in January to 123.11 million in June, lifting broadband penetration from 53.07% to 56.79%. Overall telecom subscriptions grew from 182.23 million to 192.23 million, with teledensity increasing from 84.06% to 88.67%.
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The growth coincides with a gradual migration to faster networks. By June 2026, 4G accounted for 54.31% of the mobile-generation market (up from 53.41% in January), while 5G rose from 3.94% to 4.61%. Older technologies continued to decline: 2G fell from 36.97% to 36.22% and 3G from 5.67% to 4.86%.
Operator performance reflects the demand surge
Major operators reported strong data revenue growth. MTN Nigeria recorded ₦1.699 trillion in data revenue for H1 2026, a 38.4% increase from ₦1.229 trillion in H1 2025. Network data traffic on MTN’s network rose 25.8%, and average data usage per subscriber increased 15.2% to 14.8 GB. MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola pointed to rising data demand, home broadband, and enterprise digitalization as key drivers.
Airtel Africa reported 27.2% growth in data revenue in constant-currency terms for the quarter ending June 2026, with its data customer base expanding 15.5%. In Nigeria, Airtel’s subscriber base grew from 62.04 million in January to 66.12 million in June. Globacom’s base also rose, from 22.46 million to 23.68 million over the same period.
What the numbers mean
The jump in data consumption signals deeper smartphone penetration, greater use of video streaming, social media, online services, and digital business tools. It also highlights the economic weight of connectivity: data has become a major household and business expense. At the same time, it places pressure on network capacity, fibre infrastructure, and quality of service — issues that operators and the regulator continue to address through investment and policy.
Earlier, the NCC announced the grant of 46 Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) licences aimed at increasing competition in the sector. Greater competition, combined with ongoing 4G/5G expansion, could influence pricing and service quality in the coming periods.
Sources
Primary data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Operator figures drawn from MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa public results. Spending estimates based on NCC volume data and the ₦431/GB benchmark reported by BusinessDay and other industry analyses (August 2026).
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