Nigeria reached an important digital milestone, since cumulative internet consumption exceeded a million terabytes in January 2025, according to the Nigerian communication commission. This breakthrough shows the growing digital transformation of the country since the NCC persecution of data use in 2023.
The monthly consumption figures tell a complex history. January 2025 recorded 27,475 terabyte data usage and showed a significant decline compared to the 94,502 terabytes of December 2024. To put this in the right light, a single terabyte represents 1,000 gigabytes or one million megabyte data, measurements that users of streaming services, online -online – Play platforms and business applications are known.
The telecommunications sector experienced remarkable developments during this period. Industry leaders MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria have implemented an increase in data tariffs by 50%, which may influence consumer behavior and usage patterns. Despite higher prices, both companies significantly expanded their subscribers. MTN Nigeria strengthened its market position by adding 1.4 million new Internet users and increasing a total of 73.7 million subscribers to its overall samples. Airtel Nigeria showed a similar growth, attracted 1.08 million new customers and reached 48.4 million subscribers.
The competitive landscape shows different degrees of success among providers. Globacom's performance reflects the ongoing challenges after a regulatory examination in April 2024, which significantly reduced the customer base. The company managed to attract only 313,939 new users in January 2025. In the meantime, 9mobile troubled to maintain the dynamics and did not report a subscriber growth in the same period.
These developments reflect broader changes in the digital ecosystem Nigeria. The milestone of the cumulative data consumption indicates that the introduction of the Internet in various sectors, from individual users to companies who accept digital solutions, indicates an increasing introduction of the Internet. However, the latest decline in monthly use indicates possible adjustments to consumer behavior, especially after the implementation of higher data tariffs by large providers.
The ability of the telecommunications industry to maintain the growth of the subscriber and at the same time manage pricing shows the essential character of the internet connection in modern Nigerian society. Since the digital services are increasingly submitted for daily life, the sector develops further and balances the needs of consumers with surgical sustainability.
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