{
  "id": 14231658,
  "title": "Nigerians used 90% of 2025’s internet data volume in eight months",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/nigerians-used-90-of-2025s-internet-data-volume-in-eight-months",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-13T15:08:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCabal",
    "slug": "techcabal",
    "url": "https://techcabal.com/2026/10/13/nigerians-2026-internet-data-consumption/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the first eight months of 2026, Nigerians consumed 11.94 million terabytes of internet data, accounting for approximately 90% of the volume recorded throughout 2025. August alone saw data consumption reach 1.76 million terabytes, as reported by the Nigerian Communications Commission's latest industry statistics. This surge in data consumption puts pressure on telecom operators to expand network capacity while maintaining service quality. Part of the increase is attributed to additional internet connections; in August, there were about 800,000 new internet subscriptions, expanding the pool of connections that generate data traffic. However, existing users are also using more data-intensive services. According to telecom industry expert Osita Odafi, popular video platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Netflix, as well as high-definition streaming and autoplay, contribute to increased consumption. Other drivers include online banking, digital payments, cloud services, remote work tools, online education, and AI applications. The adoption of 4G and 5G technologies is also supporting more data-intensive activities, with 4G's share of mobile subscriptions rising from 54.31% in July to 54.77% in August, and 5G increasing from 4.74% to 4.92%. Together, these technologies account for approximately 60% of mobile subscriptions. Monthly data consumption peaked at 1.76 million terabytes in August, following a gradual increase from 1.26 million in February to 1.4 million in March and 1.5 million in June. Despite the faster growth in consumption compared to telecommunications subscriptions, the relationship between increased subscription numbers and consumption is not directly established. The comparison is more relevant when considering internet subscriptions, which include approximately 800,000 new connections in August. Still, determining consumption per connection would require consistent comparisons of internet subscription totals and traffic over time. The three major operators – MTN, Airtel, and Globacom – recorded 84.56 million, 56.94 million, and 15.76 million internet subscriptions in August, respectively.",
  "summary": "Nigerians used 90% of 2025’s internet data in eight months, putting pressure on telecom operators to expand capacity and maintain reliable connections.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}