Mobile Data Consumption by Nigerians Reaches 1.236m Terabytes in November 2025
- Nigerians consumed a record 1.236 million terabytes of mobile data in November 2025
- Data usage increased steadily throughout 2025 despite economic challenges
- MTN and Airtel accounted for most of the growth, with higher per-user consumption
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
Nigerians have set a new record for mobile data consumption in November 2025, using 1.236 million terabytes, the highest monthly volume ever recorded in the country.
The figures were released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which said the November data usage slightly exceeded the 1.235 million terabytes recorded in October, confirming a sustained rise in digital activity nationwide.
Source: Getty Images
According to the NCC data, Nigeria’s mobile data consumption followed a steady upward trend throughout 2025, despite economic pressures and earlier drops in active subscriptions. Usage stood at about 983,000 terabytes in April after tariff adjustments, before crossing the one-million-terabyte mark mid-year.
By June, data consumption reached 1.044 million terabytes, rising further to 1.131 million terabytes in July and 1.152 million terabytes in August, each setting new monthly records at the time, Business Day reported.
Industry data showed that monthly usage grew by an average of 1.8% in the second half of the year.
The growth was driven by increased internet subscriptions, wider 4G coverage, and rising demand for video streaming, social media, and digital financial services.
MTN, Airtel record highest usage
MTN and Airtel, which together account for more than 85% of Nigeria’s mobile market, recorded the highest usage levels.
MTN subscribers consumed an average of about 13 gigabytes per month, while Airtel users averaged close to 10 gigabytes.
The NCC noted that seasonal factors such as holiday promotions and increased online activity also contributed to the marginal rise in November. Other sector indicators pointed to broader digital growth.
Internet subscriptions increased to 144.8 million in November, while broadband expansion climbed to 50.58%, representing 109.7 million high-speed connections, up from 45.61 per cent in January.
Active telephone lines also rose to 177.4 million, pushing teledensity to 81.8%.
Other challenges
However, the commission highlighted ongoing challenges in the sector.
Fifth-generation (5G) services account for only 3.6% of total connections due to high device costs and limited spectrum availability.
It added that infrastructure issues, including fibre cuts and power supply problems, continue to slow expansion in rural areas.
Despite these constraints, analysts say Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest mobile market places it in a strong position for further digital growth.
With stable tariffs and continued investment, data consumption is expected to keep rising into 2026, provided policy and infrastructure gaps are addressed.
Source: Getty Images
NCC signs deal to secure 5G
Legit.ng earlier reported that the NCC recently signed a deal with Sweden’s Swedfund to strengthen the use of 5G in Nigeria.
The partnership would help create a risk-based framework for the secure deployment and operation of 5G and future networks in Nigeria.
The NCC believed the initiative would boost confidence in the digital economy and support key sectors like power, healthcare, transport and education.
Source: Legit.ng
