Amidst high cost of data, Nigeria’s internet subscriber base has surged to 148.2 million by December 2025, achieving 68.3 percent penetration. This is even as subscriber witnessed 50 percent tariff hikes and Naira depreciation.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN and Airtel dominated with 86 percent market share. Airtel added one million subscribers in December alone, while Glo and 9mobile lagged as legacy players.
“Data consumption exploded 35 percent to 13.25 million terabytes yearly, but Nigerians spent N20.87 billion daily—totalling ₦7.62 trillion ($5.58 billion)—as gigabyte prices doubled from ₦287 to ₦575,” the Commission stated.
“User frustrations mounted from network failures, thousands of fibre cuts due to construction and vandalism between January and August 2025, and poor service quality despite billions in revenue.
“4G LTE held 52.95 percent share as the workhorse, 2G clung to 37.37 percent in rural areas, and 5G remained a 3.77 percent urban luxury limited by device costs and base stations.
The Commission stated that the NCC’s 70 per cent broadband target fell short at 51.97 percent, though the ICT sector boosted Q3 GDP by N7.47 trillion and restored telco profits post-2024 losses