Nigeria recorded a drop in internet subscriptions in June 2025, according to fresh data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Despite the decline, data consumption continued its upward trend, hitting one of the highest monthly usage figures since the telecom regulator began publishing such data in January 2023.
Internet Subscriptions Fall, Data Usage Rises
At the end of June 2025, internet subscriptions stood at 528,633, down from May’s figure. However, data consumption inched higher, with Nigerians using 1.044 million terabytes in June, compared to 1.043 million terabytes in May.
May’s usage figure had already set the record for the highest monthly data consumption since early 2023, underscoring the growing demand for internet services.
Telcos Expand Capacity to Meet Demand
Speaking at a recent media roundtable, Dinesh Balsingh, CEO of a leading telecoms firm, confirmed that operators are ramping up investment to expand their network capacity in response to the surge in data usage.
“Cities like Lagos are growing at lightning speed—more people, more businesses, more devices,” Balsingh said. “We’re seeing unprecedented rates of bandwidth consumption.”
This rapid growth in urban centres, particularly Lagos, is driving the need for stronger and faster internet infrastructure.
Mobile Subscriptions Also See a Decline
Total active mobile subscriptions across Nigeria’s four major networks also dipped in June, falling to 171.5 million from 172.4 million in May.
- MTN Nigeria – Still the market leader, MTN’s active subscriptions dropped by 1 million, from 90.2 million in May to 89.2 million in June.
- 9mobile (now T2) – Lost 236,238 subscribers, dropping from 2.6 million to 2.4 million. The operator recently signed a major deal to use MTN’s infrastructure.
- Airtel Nigeria – Added 36,316 new subscribers, pushing its base to 58.9 million.
- Globacom – Recorded the highest gain of the month, adding 263,028 new subscriptions to reach 20.8 million.
Market Share in June 2025
Despite the losses, MTN maintained its dominance with 52.03% of the mobile market share. Airtel followed with 34.38%, Globacom held 12.18%, and 9mobile lagged at 1.42%.
Teledensity Sees Slight Drop
The fall in active lines also impacted Nigeria’s teledensity, which measures the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants. The figure slipped from 79.65% in May to 79.22% in June.
