Nigeria’s internet consumption reached a historic milestone in January 2025, surpassing 1 million terabytes for the first time since the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) began tracking data usage in January 2023. This surge highlights the country’s growing reliance on digital services and the increasing demand for internet connectivity.
However, despite this milestone, data consumption in January 2025 stood at 27,475 terabytes, marking a sharp decline from the 94,502 terabytes recorded in December 2024.
Internet consumption is measured in terabytes (TB), with 1 TB equivalent to 1,000 gigabytes (GB) or 1,000,000 megabytes (MB). Telecom providers use this metric to monitor high data consumption, particularly among businesses, video streamers, and gamers.
The significant drop in monthly data usage may indicate challenges for telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria, both of which recently raised data tariffs by 50%. Higher costs could discourage users from consuming as much data, potentially affecting revenue growth in the long run.
Despite the decline in data consumption, MTN and Airtel continued to expand their subscriber base in January 2025. MTN Nigeria added 1.4 million new users, bringing its total internet subscribers to 73.7 million with Airtel Nigeria following closely, gaining 1.08 million new subscribers to reach a total of 48.4 million.
While MTN and Airtel saw growth, Globacom faced ongoing challenges following a regulatory audit in April 2024 that significantly reduced its subscriber base. In January 2025, the company managed to add only 313,939 new users, lagging behind its competitors.
Meanwhile, 9mobile failed to gain any new subscribers, further highlighting the competitive struggles in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
As data prices continue to rise, telecom operators must navigate a delicate balance between profitability and consumer affordability. While demand for internet services remains high, sustaining growth may depend on pricing strategies, network quality, and regulatory policies.
With Nigeria’s digital economy expanding, telecom providers will need to adapt to shifting market dynamics to ensure long-term success.
