Nigeria’s monthly data consumption increased by about 170 percent in three years, rising from 615,207.39 terabytes in July 2023 to 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, even as the number of active mobile subscriptions remained below its pre-2024 level.
An analysis of industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that monthly data traffic increased by more than one million terabytes over the period, pointing to a growing intensity of internet use in the country.
Active mobile subscriptions, however, fell from 220.86 million in July 2023 to 195.11 million in July 2026, a decline of about 25.75 million lines.
The contrasting figures suggest that the growth in data traffic is not being driven simply by an increase in the number of active mobile connections. Rather, existing connections are carrying considerably more data as Nigerians increasingly rely on internet services for a wider range of activities.
Internet use has become embedded in everyday activities, including digital payments, online learning, video streaming, social media, content creation, livestreaming and the use of cloud-based services. The growing use of smartphones and other connected devices has also made it possible for consumers to access and exchange larger volumes of digital content.
Generative artificial intelligence services have added another layer to this growing digital activity, with users increasingly relying on online platforms to generate and exchange text, images and video.
The increase in data traffic has also come alongside wider broadband access. Broadband subscriptions rose from 89.73 million in July 2023 to 124.42 million in July 2026, while broadband penetration increased from 47.01 percent to 57.40 percent.
The expansion has not been limited to mobile broadband. Data from the NCC showed that fibre-to-the-x (FTTX) subscriptions stood at 319,735 in the second quarter of 2026, reflecting the continued growth of fibre-based connectivity in the country.
Meanwhile, the size of the active mobile subscriber base has been influenced by regulatory changes in the period under review, particularly the enforcement of the National Identification Number-SIM linkage exercise.
The NCC recorded 224.7 million active mobile subscriptions in 2023 before the figure fell to 164.9 million by the end of 2024 as the commission enforced the linkage requirements and removed unverified lines.
The subscriber base has recovered from the 2024 low to 195.11 million as of July 2026, but remains below the level recorded before the NIN-SIM enforcement.
Within the current subscriber base, MTN remained the largest operator in July 2026 with 100.86 million active subscriptions, representing 51.76 percent of the market. Airtel followed with 66.76 million subscriptions and a 34.26 percent share.
Globacom accounted for 23.63 million active subscriptions, representing 12.13 percent of the market, while 9mobile had 3.61 million subscriptions and a 1.85 percent share.
Internet subscriptions by technology have meanwhile remained relatively stable, declining slightly from 159.53 million in July 2023 to 157.71 million in July 2026.
The figures point to a telecommunications market where the growth of digital activity is increasingly being reflected in the volume of data consumed rather than simply in the number of new mobile connections.
Although the active subscriber base has not returned to its pre-2024 level, monthly data traffic has reached more than twice the volume recorded three years earlier, as broadband access expands and internet-connected services become a larger part of everyday activities.
