NaijNaira
Nigeria’s internet usage has seen a slight decline after a 50% increase in telecom tariffs, which was approved in January 2025. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), data consumption dropped from 1 million terabytes (TB) in January to 893,054.80 TB in February. However, the figures rebounded in March, reaching 995,876.10 TB, though still below January’s peak.
The tariff hike, which impacted the cost of calls, SMS, and data, raised the floor price of calls to ₦9.6 per minute, up from ₦6.40. The cost of SMS went up to ₦6 from ₦4, while 1GB of data now costs ₦431.25, a rise from ₦287.5. The increase followed a decade-long push by telecom operators, who had advocated for higher prices due to the difficult economic environment in Nigeria. Despite this dip in usage, MTN Nigeria posted a record ₦529.44 billion in data revenue for the first quarter of 2025.
“Looking ahead, we anticipate continued momentum in service revenue, underpinned by strong demand for data and a proactive approach to customer value management,” said Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, highlighting the company’s confidence in future growth despite the initial drop in usage.
Mobile subscriptions have continued to grow, with the total number of subscriptions reaching 172.43 million in Q1 2025. Mobile internet subscriptions also rose to 142.05 million, while broadband penetration reached 47.73%. This suggests that, despite the increase in tariffs, the Nigerian telecom sector remains robust, with increasing demand for mobile services.
