Nigerians spent N3.67tn on internet data in H1 2026

Nigerians spent an estimated N3.67 trillion on internet data in the first half of 2026, according to calculations based on NCC consumption data and an average benchmark price of N431 per GB. That is 43% higher than the N2.57 trillion estimated for H1 2025, meaning Nigerians spent about N1.10 trillion more on data year-on-year.

Consumption figures

NCC data shows Nigerians consumed 8.52 million terabytes of internet data between January and June 2026, compared with 5.96 million TB in H1 2025. Since 1 TB equals 1,000 GB, the 8.52 million TB translates to about 8.52 billion GB. Applying the N431-per-GB benchmark produces the N3.67 trillion estimate, BusinessDay reports.

Monthly data consumption rose from 1.39 million TB in January to 1.53 million TB in June 2026. The June figure was 46.7% higher than the 1.04 million TB recorded in June 2025.

Subscriptions and network migration

Broadband subscriptions climbed from 115.04 million in January to 123.11 million in June, pushing broadband usage from 53.07% to 56.79%. Total telecommunications subscriptions also rose from 182.23 million to 192.23 million, while teledensity increased from 84.06% to 88.67% over the same period.

Faster networks gained ground. In June 2026, 4G accounted for 54.31% of the mobile-generation market, up from 53.41% in January. 5G rose from 3.94% to 4.61%. Older networks lost ground, with 2G declining from 36.97% to 36.22% and 3G falling from 5.67% to 4.86%.

Operator revenues

MTN Nigeria recorded N1.699 trillion in data revenue during H1 2026, up 38.4% from N1.229 trillion in H1 2025. Network data traffic on MTN's infrastructure increased by 25.8%, while average data usage per subscriber rose 15.2% to 14.8GB. MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola identified rising data demand, home broadband and enterprise digitalisation as key growth drivers.

Airtel Africa reported a 27.2% increase in data revenue in constant-currency terms for the quarter ended June 2026, while its data customer base expanded by 15.5%. In Nigeria, Airtel's subscriber base rose from 62.04 million in January to 66.12 million in June. Globacom also grew, with its customer base rising from 22.46 million to 23.68 million during the same period.

What it means for the naira and businesses

The surge in data spending shows telecom services remain a major consumer expense despite economic pressures. For Nigerian businesses, the continued shift to 4G and 5G could support digital services and e-commerce, but the N431-per-GB benchmark means data affordability is still a key concern for households.