By Joyce Ekeh
Nigerians consumed significantly more internet data in June despite a marginal decline in active internet subscriptions, latest industry figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, have shown.
Internet subscriptions fell from 157.41 million in May to 156.86 million in June, but total internet usage jumped by 28,105.31 terabytes within the same period, rising from 1,504,067.36TB to 1,532,172.67TB.
The figures indicate growing data consumption among existing internet users as more Nigerians increasingly rely on digital services for business, communication, financial transactions and other activities.
Meanwhile, active telecommunications subscriptions rose by 2.56 million to 192.23 million in June, from 189.68 million in May, while teledensity increased from the previous month to 88.67 per cent.
Broadband penetration also climbed to 56.79 per cent in June from 56.11 per cent in May, with broadband subscriptions increasing from 121.64 million to 123.11 million.
The NCC data showed that MTN Nigeria retained its market leadership with 98.64 million subscribers, representing 51.38 per cent market share.
Airtel followed with 66.12 million subscribers and 34.44 per cent market share, while Globacom recorded 23.68 million subscribers, representing 12.34 per cent. T2 had 3.54 million subscribers, accounting for 1.84 per cent.
On mobile technology, 4G remained dominant, accounting for 54.31 per cent of connections, followed by 2G at 36.22 per cent, 3G at 4.86 per cent and 5G at 4.61 per cent.
The surge in data consumption is putting additional pressure on operators to expand network capacity and infrastructure as demand for faster and more reliable connectivity continues to grow.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa, Sunil Taldar, recently highlighted the scale of data demand across the continent, saying the company was increasing investment in network expansion and capacity.
“Our data growth, volume growth is upwards of 50 percent. To support this, one is coverage expansion.
“If you look at Africa, we see a huge opportunity. There is still only about 50 percent telecommunications penetration and about 50 percent smartphone penetration,” Taldar said.
The latest figures come amid continued investment by telecommunications operators in network expansion, fibre infrastructure, spectrum and newer technologies, particularly 4G and 5G.
The telecommunications sector also continued to play a major role in the Nigerian economy, contributing 9.19 per cent to Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in the first quarter of 2026.
The sector supports a wide range of economic activities, including fintech, e-commerce, banking, education, transportation, entertainment, and other digital services.
The latest data further highlights the need for sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, improved network quality and stronger protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure as Nigeria deepens its digital transformation.
