New data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed a striking paradox in the country’s telecoms sector: while the number of active internet subscribers has fallen, the total volume of data consumed has rocketed to an all-time high.
In July, data consumption hit a record 1.1 million terabytes, up from the previous milestone of 1.04 million terabytes set just two months earlier in May. This surge in usage comes despite a significant decline in subscriptions, which dropped to 138.7 million from 141.1 million in June.
The NCC’s latest industry statistics, reported by nairametrics.com, attribute this growth to a major shift in network quality. More Nigerians are now using faster 4G and 5G networks, which enable higher data consumption. As of July, 50.85% of internet users were on 4G, while 3.17% had already adopted 5G technology. Conversely, the use of older 3G networks is declining rapidly, accounting for just 7.38% of connections.
This trend occurs as Nigerians adjust to a recent 50% price increase for data plans implemented by all major telecom operators. The price hike appears to have driven some customers away, but those who remain are consuming more data than ever before.
The decline in subscriptions was felt across the major mobile networks. Airtel was the hardest hit, losing 2.4 million subscriptions and seeing its user base fall to 56.5 million. MTN and Globacom also saw declines, losing 106,345 and 143,701 subscribers respectively. Consequently, the nation’s teledensity—a measure of active telephone connections per 100 people—also fell to 78.11% from 79.22%.
This situation presents a complex challenge for telecom companies. While increased data usage boosts their revenue, it also forces them to invest heavily in expanding network infrastructure to meet the growing demand from users on faster, data-intensive networks.
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