Nigeria’s telecommunications industry lost approximately one million internet users in February following a 50% increase in tariffs on voice, data, and SMS services implemented in January 2025, according to the latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The total number of internet subscribers fell from 142.16 million to 141.25 million in February, though a slight recovery to 142.05 million was recorded in March. More significantly, data consumption dropped by 12% in February to 893.06 petabytes, down from January’s record high of one exabyte.
While March saw data usage rebound by 11.5% to 995.88 petabytes, consumption remained below January’s peak, suggesting continued caution among subscribers facing higher costs.
Despite the decline in internet usage, the telecom sector showed resilience in other areas, adding 3.39 million new telephone subscribers between January and March. This growth increased total active lines from 169.32 million to 172.71 million and boosted Nigeria’s teledensity from 78.10% to 79.67%.
MTN Nigeria maintained its market dominance with 75.62 million internet users and 90.5 million active telephone lines, representing 52.48% of the market. Airtel followed with 48.8 million internet users and 58.3 million telephone subscribers (33.78% market share), while Globacom and 9mobile trailed with smaller portions of the market.
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The NCC report also highlighted significant movement between networks, with 7,922 subscribers porting from one operator to another during February and March. 9mobile experienced the most substantial exodus, losing 5,809 customers, while MTN gained the most with 4,855 new subscribers joining from other networks.
These figures reflect the complex challenges facing Nigeria’s telecommunications industry as operators navigate economic pressures and changing consumer behaviors in response to rising costs.
