Nigeria Hits 50% Broadband Milestone, but Misses 70% National Target as 2025 Closes

Nigeria’s digital landscape reached a historic psychological milestone in November 2025, with broadband penetration finally crossing the 50% mark.

However, despite this growth, the federal government has officially fallen short of the ambitious 70% broadband penetration target set in the National Broadband Plan (NBP 2020–2025), which expires this month.

According to the latest industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), total internet subscriptions in the country reached 144.7 million in November 2025, a steady climb from the 136 million recorded in the same period in 2024.

Technology Breakdown: The Shift in Connectivity

While Mobile (GSM) remains the undisputed king of Nigerian connectivity, 2025 saw a notable surge in “fixed-line” and ISP-led technologies as businesses and high-income households moved toward more stable fiber and satellite options.

Subscription Growth by Segment:

The Data Consumption Explosion

The most staggering statistic of 2025 is not the number of users, but how much data they are consuming. Nigerians consumed a record 1.24 million terabytes (TB) of data in November 2025 alone.

Total data consumption between January and November 2025 reached 11.86 million TB, representing a 34.96% increase compared to the 8.79 million TB consumed during the same period in 2024.

This surge is attributed to the rise of remote work, video streaming (TikTok, YouTube), and the transition of government services to digital platforms.

Market Share: The “Big Four” Leaderboard

MTN Nigeria continues to dominate the market, holding over half of the total internet subscriptions.

1. MTN: 78.8 Million
2. Airtel: 50.3 Million
3. Globacom: 14.2 Million
4. T2 (9mobile): 771,035