Nigerians used 1,756,404.82 terabytes (TB) of mobile and fixed internet data in August 2026, the highest monthly figure on record, according to industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) circulated on Monday, October 12. That’s 94,383 TB more than July’s 1,662,021.45 TB, a jump of about 5.7% in a single month, while the number of people subscribed to internet services barely moved.
The NCC’s own statistics show 158,520,893 internet subscriptions at the end of August, of which 158,066,217 were on mobile networks. Split across those mobile lines, August’s usage works out to roughly 11GB per line for the month, which is more than many Nigerians buy in a single 30-day bundle. A year earlier the picture was very different, since the Commission put July 2025 consumption at about 1.13 million TB against about 1.66 million TB in July 2026, growth of roughly 47% in twelve months.
| Data used in August | 1,756,404.82 TB |
|---|---|
| Data used in July | 1,662,021.45 TB |
| Internet subscriptions | 158,520,893 |
| Broadband penetration | 58.22% (target is 70%) |
| Lines on 4G | 54.77% |
| Lines on 2G | 36.05% |
| Lines on 5G | 4.92% |
| Lines on 3G | 4.27% |
Usage is climbing much faster than subscriber numbers
Mobile internet subscriptions grew from 157.27 million in July to 158.07 million in August, an increase of about half a percent, so almost all of the extra data came from people already online using more of it. Video, social apps, cloud backups and software updates all push that number up, and none of them needs a new SIM to do it.
Broadband subscriptions rose to 126.22 million, lifting penetration to 58.22% from 57.40% in July. That still leaves the country well short of the 70% target, and it means the growth in data demand is landing on networks that haven’t yet reached everyone they’re meant to cover.
Why the NCC is worried about congestion rather than coverage
NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida made the same point at the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum in Abuja earlier this month, where he said “the investment challenge before us is not merely one of expanding coverage” and stressed “ensuring that those already connected enjoy better service quality.” The forum’s communiqué went further and said demand is outgrowing the networks, with usage rather than coverage now the bigger gap.
For subscribers, that is the backdrop to slow evenings and pages that stall in busy areas even when you have full bars. A cell site serves everyone connected to it at once, so when more people stream and download on the same tower, each person’s share of the capacity shrinks. The NCC’s statement from the forum ties the fix to more fibre, more sites and cheaper right-of-way charges from state governments, which takes time to show up on your phone.
More than a third of lines are still on 2G
4G carried 54.77% of subscriptions in August, up from 54.31% in July, and 5G edged up to 4.92% from 4.74%. The figure that stands out is 2G at 36.05%, which means more than one in three Nigerian lines is still on the oldest network technology, largely because of basic phones and older handsets. 3G accounted for the remaining 4.27%.
If your smartphone keeps dropping to 2G or 3G in places where others get 4G, the network isn’t always the cause. Check that Settings > Mobile network > Preferred network type is set to 4G or 5G, and if you bought the phone abroad, it may not support the LTE bands Nigerian operators use, which our explainer on why an imported phone won’t show 4G in Nigeria walks through.
MTN and Airtel now hold 86% of the market
The NCC’s operator figures for August give MTN 102,556,735 active lines and 52.01% of the GSM market, with Airtel on 67,420,650 lines and 34.19%. Globacom has 23,583,253 lines (11.96%) and T2, the network formerly known as 9mobile, has 3,613,801 (1.83%). Together MTN and Airtel serve about 86% of the 197.17 million active lines in the country, so congestion on either network affects a very large share of users at once.
Rising national usage doesn’t mean your own bundle should be running out faster than before. If it is, our guide to finding what’s eating your data on MTN, Airtel or Glo shows how to trace it app by app, and if you think you’ve been charged for data you didn’t use, you can escalate it using our steps on how to complain to the NCC.
September’s figures should land in the coming weeks and will show whether August was a one-off peak or the new normal. With 11GB per line already the national average and only 4.92% of subscriptions on 5G, the pressure on 4G capacity is the number to watch, because that’s the network most Nigerian smartphones actually live on.
