Nigerians Consumed 4 Billion Gigabytes of Data in Q1 2026 — A New Record

Nigerians consumed more than four billion gigabytes of internet data in just 90 days — a new quarterly record that signals how rapidly the country’s digital economy is expanding.

According to the latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerians used 4.06 million terabytes of data in the first quarter of 2026, the highest figure since the NCC began tracking quarterly data consumption. The previous record was 3.86 million terabytes, set in Q4 2025.

March Was the Biggest Month Ever

March 2026 drove much of the quarter’s surge, recording 1.42 million terabytes — the busiest single month on record. That translated to an average of 45,896 terabytes of data consumed per day, edging out February 2026’s 45,002 TB/day average.

Since early 2023, when Nigeria’s monthly data usage stood at roughly 517,000 terabytes, that figure has more than doubled — a pace of growth that has outrun many of the infrastructure projections made just a few years ago.

What’s Driving It

Behind the numbers is a significant expansion of Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure. Moving 4 million terabytes of data requires undersea cables, thousands of kilometres of fibre optic lines, and over 20,000 active telecom towers. MTN Nigeria spent approximately ₦1 trillion ($727 million) on network upgrades in 2025; Airtel committed around $500 million; and Globacom expanded its infrastructure footprint substantially.

The shift to faster 4G and emerging 5G connectivity is also pulling usage higher, as video streaming, remote work, mobile banking, and social media consumption continue to grow across all demographics. Nigeria’s 182.2 million active telecom subscriptions as of January 2026 provide the base for that demand.

The NCC has said it is targeting 12,000 site upgrades to keep pace with the surge, while also pushing operators to compensate consumers for service quality failures as network pressure mounts.

Sources: TechCabal, BusinessDay, NCC