Nigerians spent an estimated N3.67 trillion on internet data in the first half of 2026, according to calculations based on Nigerian Communications Commission consumption figures and an average benchmark price of N431 per gigabyte. The total is 43 per cent higher than the N2.57 trillion estimated for the same period in 2025, representing an additional N1.10 trillion year-on-year.
Rising Data Consumption
NCC data show that 8.52 million terabytes of internet data were consumed between January and June 2026, compared with 5.96 million terabytes in the first half of 2025. With one terabyte equal to 1,000 gigabytes, the 8.52 million terabytes convert to approximately 8.52 billion gigabytes. Applying the N431-per-GB benchmark produces the N3.67 trillion estimate, according to BusinessDay.
Monthly consumption rose from 1.39 million terabytes in January to 1.53 million terabytes in June 2026. The June figure was 46.7 per cent higher than the 1.04 million terabytes recorded in June 2025.
Subscriptions and Network Shift
Broadband subscriptions increased from 115.04 million in January to 123.11 million in June, lifting broadband usage from 53.07 per cent to 56.79 per cent. Total telecommunications subscriptions also grew from 182.23 million to 192.23 million, while teledensity rose from 84.06 per cent to 88.67 per cent over the same period.
Faster networks continued to gain share. In June 2026, 4G accounted for 54.31 per cent of the mobile-generation market, up from 53.41 per cent in January. 5G expanded from 3.94 per cent to 4.61 per cent. Older technologies declined, with 2G falling from 36.97 per cent to 36.22 per cent and 3G from 5.67 per cent to 4.86 per cent.
Operator Performance
MTN Nigeria generated N1.699 trillion in data revenue in the first half of 2026, a 38.4 per cent increase from N1.229 trillion in the corresponding period of 2025. Network data traffic on its infrastructure rose 25.8 per cent, while average data usage per subscriber increased 15.2 per cent to 14.8 gigabytes. Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola identified rising data demand, home broadband and enterprise digitalisation as the main growth drivers.
Airtel Africa reported a 27.2 per cent rise in data revenue in constant-currency terms for the quarter ended June 2026, while its data customer base expanded 15.5 per cent. In Nigeria, Airtel’s subscriber base grew from 62.04 million in January to 66.12 million in June. Globacom also expanded, with its customer base increasing from 22.46 million to 23.68 million over the same period.
Implications for Households and Businesses
The sharp rise in data spending underscores that telecommunications services remain a significant consumer expense despite broader economic pressures. For Nigerian businesses, the continued migration to 4G and 5G networks could support the growth of digital services and e-commerce. At the same time, the N431-per-gigabyte benchmark indicates that data affordability continues to be an important concern for many households.
