Nigerian internet subscribers used 1.38 million terabytes of data in December 2025, showing the continued demand for data services and growing usage of smartphones among Nigerians.
According to the latest industry report by the NCC, data usage increased by 12.4% from from 1.236 million terabytes in November 2025 to 1.386 million terabytes in December 2025.
Notably, the data usage in December 2025 is the monthly highest yet recorded by Nigerian internet users. In fact, the entire 2025 saw data usage up by 42.4% YoY to 1.386 million from 973.5k in the prior period.
The surge shows that smartphone usage is gaining prominence in Nigeria, with the spread of digital banking and financial inclusion. The increase in the number of smartphones is fuelling the consumption of digital services, social media, and streaming content.
Airtel, in its 9 months ending December 2025, revealed that data usage per customer grew by 26.2% to 10.7 GB per month, up from 8.4 GB in the prior period, with smartphone penetration increasing by 4.6% to 54.1%. Also, smartphone data usage per customer reached 13.4 GB per month compared to 11.2 GB per month in the prior period.
In the same light, MTN, in its first nine months of 2025, said active data users rose 12.8% to 51.1 million, data traffic expanded by 36.3%, while average usage per user increased by 20.8% to 13.2 GB per month. Smartphone penetration now stands at about 65.1%, enabling richer service uptake.
Internet users
Aside from the contribution of smartphone penetration to a spike in data usage, the country’s internet subscriber base is growing.
Internet users have now reached 148.2 million, a 2.3% surge from 144.8 million in November. Breakdown shows that 147.5 million are connected via mobile, 313,713 via ISP, 232,284 via Voice over IP (VoIP), while 101,667 are connected via fixed wired.
This means that 82.5% of telecom subscribers can now access the internet. With this, a Nigerian internet subscriber used an average of 9.36 GB of data in December.
Meanwhile, the scenario presents a mixed situation for Nigerian internet subscribers. For many in 2025, the network has often been marked by slow data speeds and dropped calls, leading to frustrations and a negative impact on daily activities.
Also Read: NCC: Telecom operators spent over $1 billion on new tower sites, fibre optic cables, others in 2025.
4G remains popular as 5G still drags
The 4G network has again extended its growing lead in the Nigerian telecoms space by finishing 2025 at a market share of 52.95%, after it started the year with 47.23%. 2G network follows with a share of 37.37%, a drop from the 41.36% in January 2025, while 3G holds a 5.91% share.
The data reveals how the 4G network is dictating the pace of internet usage in Nigeria. For instance, a report by nPerf, an internet speed test platform, shows that the country’s average mobile download speed increased from 7.1 Mbps to 14.7 Mbps between the first quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2025.
The network has also witnessed increasing adoption, attributed to the continuous rise in smartphone usage and internet users’ addiction to social media platforms. In less than two years, 4G has witnessed a meteoric rise to become the most-used network in Nigeria. Its market share increased by 111.3% to 52.95% from 25.06% in May 2023.
However, 5G network market share is still lagging. Data shows that the network ended 2025 at 3.77% market share, an increase form 2.54% in January 2025.
With fifth-generation mobile technology comes faster speeds and lower delays. For Nigerians network upgrade has placed Nigerians in a state where operators still struggle due to the complex infrastructure needs.
Although Nigerians are already overcoming affordability issues by possessing 5G-enabled devices, they are faced with the non-availability of network infrastructure.
