Internet Boom Pushes Nigeria Into A Data Hunger Era

By TOSI ORE

📡 The Growth Curve No One Saw Coming

NIGERIA’S internet consumption has entered a defining acceleration phase. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), national data traffic for 2025 is projected to exceed 13.2 million terabytes (TB) — a 35% rise from 2024. The growth rate mirrors the 34.3% leap recorded between 2023 and 2024, when usage climbed from 7.27m TB to 9.76m TB. But unlike previous years, 2025 has crossed from steady expansion into mass-scale data dependency, raising concerns about infrastructure endurance.

📊 41,000 TB Per Day — The Real Bottleneck

Between January and November 2025, consumption hit 11.86m TB, translating into daily usage of 41,000+ TB. This volume has placed mobile and broadband networks under sustained pressure, particularly in urban hubs where population density and digital services collide. Analysts argue that this is no longer about connectivity growth alone — it is about a nation restructuring itself around the internet.

🎄 December: The Annual Data Tsunami

Traffic analysis shows a repeating pattern: December is Nigeria’s data Super Bowl. In 2024, December consumption rose by 94,502 TB from November; in 2023, the jump was 67,794 TB. The average 10–11% month-on-month growth in the festive period is tied to video streaming, holiday travel, social media uploads, and the seasonal spike in e-commerce. The consistency of this trend signals a structural shift in consumer behaviour rather than a temporary surge.

📱 The Forces Feeding Nigeria’s Data Appetite

Industry stakeholders attribute the explosion to:

• cheaper internet-enabled smartphones

• rising dominance of video content

• migration of businesses to cloud services

• increased fintech, e-learning, and remote-work adoption

These drivers indicate that data consumption is now a proxy indicator for economic activity, lifestyle evolution, and even national productivity.

🧵 Fibre, 5G and the Battle for Capacity

Airtel Nigeria CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, described data as “the new oxygen,” adding that rapid urbanisation is driving device proliferation. He confirmed heavy investments in 5G and fibre deployment to future-proof network scalability. NCC leadership echoed similar sentiments, with Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida acknowledging improvements but admitting service quality still falls below national expectations.

⚠️ Opportunity, But at a Cost

Nigeria’s broadband penetration crossed 50% in November 2025 for the first time, a milestone that confirms wider access but also exposes infrastructure inadequacy. The more Nigerians connect, the more networks struggle — a paradox analysts describe as growth outpacing capacity.