Broadband Inches Up While Data Use Takes a Hit Amid Soaring Telecom Costs

Despite a marginal increase in broadband penetration, fresh data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) suggests Nigerians may be cutting back on internet usage amid rising costs.

According to the NCC’s April 2025 subscription report, national data consumption has dipped noticeably since January. From a high of 1,000,930.60 terabytes at the start of the year, usage dropped sharply to 893,054.80TB in February, recovered to 995,876.10TB in March, and dipped again in April to 983,283.43TB.

This pattern points to a possible adjustment in consumer behavior, with many internet users reportedly rationing data, likely in response to January’s 50 per cent hike in telecom tariffs approved by the Federal Government.

While mobile internet subscriptions fell slightly from 142.16 million in January to 141.99 million in April, broadband penetration continued its slow climb, rising by 0.42 per cent to 48.15 per cent, up from 47.73 per cent in March.

However, this progress is still far from the 70 per cent broadband penetration target outlined in Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (NBP 2020–2025). The plan had envisioned a 50 per cent penetration rate by the end of 2023, but the country closed that year at 43.71 per cent, and only reached 44.43 per cent by the end of 2024.

Telecom operators have admitted the tariff hike has helped boost revenue, but the numbers show a growing divide. While high-speed broadband users, particularly those with Fibre to the Home (FTTH) — continue to access services, many GSM-based users appear to be priced out of regular usage.

The hike, which raised call rates from N6.40 to N9.60 per minute, SMS from N4 to N6, and 1GB of data from N287.50 to N431.25, has also dashed hopes of achieving the N360/GB affordability target originally set in the NBP.

With 104.3 million broadband connections recorded as of April, the gap to the 2025 broadband penetration target remains at 21.85 per cent. Stakeholders say legacy infrastructure issues and policy implementation delays continue to slow progress.

As the country inches toward the end of the NBP’s five-year window, the pressure is mounting on the government and telecom players to accelerate affordable internet access and bridge the growing digital divide.