A new report has shown that Nigerians are using less internet data even though more people are online.Â
The Nigerian Communications Commission revealed that data usage slightly dropped in March 2025, falling to 995,876 terabytes.
This was a small decline compared to the 1,000,930 terabytes recorded in January, but still higher than February’s figure of 893,054 terabytes.
The number of active mobile internet users grew to 142.05 million in March, up from 141.25 million in February.
This means that while more people had access to the internet, many were cutting down on how much data they used because of rising costs.
The dip in data usage follows the recent approval for telecom companies to raise their prices by up to 50 per cent.
This price hike has made it more difficult for many Nigerians to afford data.
Some have started turning off their mobile data during the day and now rely on free Wi-Fi in offices or public places to carry out heavy internet tasks like downloads and streaming.
Even with the drop in usage, telecom companies are still making more money.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s biggest mobile network, saw its data revenue jump by over 51 per cent, reaching N529.44 billion in the first quarter.
The company also recorded a 46.4 per cent increase in data traffic and a 29.5 per cent rise in average usage per subscriber.
Airtel Nigeria also experienced a growth in earnings.
The company said that data usage per customer rose by 33.4 per cent, with more users owning smartphones.
Smartphone use across its network reached nearly 50 per cent, showing that many Nigerians still depend heavily on mobile internet.
