The number of internet users in Nigeria declined sharply following a 50 per cent increase in voice, data, and SMS tariffs implemented in January 2025, according to new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
NCC’s industry statistics show that the internet user base dropped by nearly one million in February, falling from 142.16 million in January to 141.25 million. Although a slight rebound was recorded in March with users rising to 142.05 million, overall usage patterns remained below the January peak.
The commission also reported a 12 per cent drop in data consumption in February, with monthly usage falling to 893.06 petabytes from January’s one exabyte. Data usage saw an 11.5 per cent increase in March, reaching 995.88 petabytes, but still fell short of the January level, indicating users remained cautious due to the higher tariffs.
Despite the decline in internet usage, the telecommunications sector recorded growth in other areas. Active telephone lines rose from 169.32 million in January to 172.71 million in March, as operators added 3.39 million new users. This growth pushed Nigeria’s teledensity up from 78.10 per cent to 79.67 per cent.
In the internet market, mobile network operators continued to dominate. MTN Nigeria led with 75.62 million users, followed by Airtel Nigeria with 48.8 million, Globacom with 15.37 million, and 9mobile with 1.75 million.
MTN also remained the leader in active voice subscribers with 90.5 million lines, representing a 52.48 per cent market share. Airtel followed with 58.3 million (33.78 per cent), Globacom with 20.7 million (12 per cent), and 9mobile with 2.9 million (1.72 per cent).
On mobile number porting, the NCC reported that 9mobile continued to lose subscribers, with 5,809 users porting out of its network in February and March. By comparison, MTN lost 647 customers, Airtel 695, and Globacom 771.
MTN gained the highest number of incoming subscribers during the period, with 4,855 customers porting into its network. Airtel gained 2,084, while Globacom added 1,007. 9mobile recorded only three incoming portings across both months.
In total, 7,922 subscribers switched networks between February and March 2025, according to the NCC.
