Nigeria’s telecommunications sector is witnessing an unusual trend, in that, more people are connecting to broadband networks, but they are consuming less internet data.
Latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that broadband subscriptions rose to a record 120 million in April 2026, up from 117 million in March, pushing broadband penetration to 55.6 percent. During the same period, telecom operators added 2.29 million new SIM cards, with active mobile subscriptions increasing from 185.7 million to 188 million.
Yet, despite the growth in connectivity, actual internet usage declined.
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Data consumption dropped to 1.414 million terabytes in April from 1.422 million terabytes recorded in March, highlighting a widening gap between network access and consumer spending power.
