Data Consumption Hits Record 1.5m Terabytes in Nigeria – NCC

Telecommunications subscribers in Nigeria consumed a record 1.5 million terabytes of data in May 2026, marking the highest monthly data usage ever recorded in the country.

The figure was contained in the latest industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), according to a report by Nairametrics.

The surge reflects the growing adoption of faster-generation networks, particularly 4G and 5G, as well as increased reliance on digital platforms and services.

NCC data showed that 54.30% of internet users were connected to 4G networks as of May, while 5G accounted for 4.49% of connections.

By comparison, 3G usage continued to decline, accounting for just 5.10% of internet connections during the period.

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The increase in data consumption also coincided with growth in active internet subscriptions across the country’s major mobile networks.

Active subscriptions on MTN, Airtel, Globacom and T2 rose from 154.3 million in April to 157 million in May, according to the NCC data.

MTN remained the dominant operator with 83.5 million internet subscriptions, followed by Airtel with 55.8 million.

Globacom accounted for 16.8 million subscriptions, while T2 recorded 802,534 internet connections.

Earlier in the year, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, said Nigerians were consuming about 45,800 terabytes of data daily, highlighting the increasing dependence on internet services and digital platforms.

Maida said the daily consumption translated to 1.42 million terabytes in March 2026, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.

The May figures indicate that average daily data consumption had risen further to about 48,518 terabytes.

The NCC chief had attributed the growth to the expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy, driven by digital payments, e-commerce, startups, digital literacy initiatives and emerging technologies.

The growing number of content creators has also contributed to the increase, with analysts pointing to the rise in video uploads and streaming across social media platforms.

Telecom consultant, Adewale Adeoye, told Nairametrics that the growing culture of content creation was becoming a significant driver of data consumption.

“Almost every Nigerian is now a content creator. Everybody wants to post a video of what is happening around them or what they saw elsewhere for engagement and as they keep uploading and people keep watching, watching, the amount of data used will continue to increase,” Adeoye said.

The rise in data consumption is also translating into increased revenue for telecommunications operators, making data services a major source of income for the industry.

However, the growing demand is putting additional pressure on telecom infrastructure, requiring operators to expand network capacity and upgrade existing facilities.

The NCC disclosed earlier this year that telecom operators invested more than N2.5 trillion in network infrastructure in 2025 amid efforts to address complaints over poor service quality.

The regulator also said operators had committed to upgrading 12,000 sites in 2026 to improve network performance and service delivery across the country.