Iloka, who made a presentation at the Nigeria Network Operators Group (NGNOG) Conference recently in Abuja on “Nigeria ASN Analysis 2025 – Insight into Network Growth Distribution and Connectivity Trends,” disclosed that the majority of ASNs are concentrated in Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Kano, Oyo, Ogun, and Osun.

These cities, according to him serve as primary digital and commercial hubs, a concentration which highlighted significant regional disparities in network access.

Iloka’s analysis revealed a fluctuating growth trend in Nigeria’s ASN count over the past three years. The total number of ASNs dropped from 269 in 2023 to 256 in 2024, a 4.8% decline.

However, the count has since rebounded to 271 in 2025, indicating a healthy growth of 5.9% from the previous year. This rebound suggests an expansion in internet services, likely driven by increased demand for digital services or existing network upgrades.

Despite the recent growth, the report underscores a significant gap when comparing Nigeria to other nations. Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) allocated to a country are a key indicator of its internet infrastructure development and connectivity.

Nigeria currently holds 271 ASNs. In contrast, South Africa leads the continent with 742 ASNs. Globally, Germany ranks 7th with over 3,100 ASNs, while Brazil leads all nations with over 9,000 ASNs, showcasing its highly advanced internet infrastructure.

Furthermore, Africa as a whole has only 2,452 ASNs, according to AFRINIC records, which calls for intense continental digital infrastructure development. These figures clearly highlight the urgent need for sustained investment and development in Nigeria’s internet infrastructure.

The Nigeria ASN Analysis 2025 offered several key positive observations: 15 new ASN allocations point to an ongoing expansion in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, and with only one ASN delisting in 2025, the country shows improved stability in ASN management.

The new ASNs are held by a diverse range of organizations, including ISPs, enterprises, and financial institutions, which showcases a diverse and maturing digital ecosystem.

However, the analysis concluded that the concentration remains a core challenge. While there is gradual expansion, the majority of networks are still concentrated in key commercial hubs, leaving 15 states still lacking active ASNs.

Iloka stressed that the ASN landscape in Nigeria reflects a maturing Internet ecosystem, one that’s expanding in diversity, capacity, and strategic significance.

He concluded by calling for action:

“To fully harness its potential, there is a need for stronger regional participation, improved interconnectivity, and sustained collaboration across networks to drive true digital inclusion and national resilience,” he said.

The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) confirmed this milestone, reiterating the country’s goal to localise digital infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign bandwidth.

At 1Tbps, the speed and volume of internet traffic handled locally in Nigeria have grown to the level where over a million Zoom calls could run at once without issues. It also means that around 200,000 users could stream high-definition Nollywood films at the same time without any buffering.

IXPN’s Chief Executive Officer, Muhammed Rudman, described the achievement as a huge one. “For Nigeria, hitting this milestone means reducing reliance on international bandwidth, decreasing latency for local services, and strengthening our position as Africa’s digital heartbeat. This milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of a faster, more connected Nigeria.”

This means more data now moves within Nigeria, handled by domestic infrastructure. This also comes with real financial and functional benefits. Service providers no longer need to depend so heavily on international cables or foreign data centres, which means fewer costs and less vulnerability when external connections break down.

Again, Nigerian businesses could save millions of dollars annually by exchanging traffic locally. That’s money that can now be redirected towards building better services or expanding digital capacity. And users? They get faster connections, smoother experiences on fintech apps, and better results when attending virtual classes or meetings.

Not just tech firms will benefit, banks, e-commerce platforms, schools, hospitals and any service that requires a steady internet will find stability in this. 

Rudman pointed out that strengthening local infrastructure doesn’t just improve quality of service; it also provides insurance against global internet disruptions.

Years of steady growth in local traffic contributed to this. Surveys among IXPN members show that some now keep up to 70% of their internet traffic within Nigerian borders. That’s a sharp contrast to just a few years ago, when the bulk of data had to travel across the world and back, introducing delays and extra costs.

Raphael Iloka, the organisation’s marketing manager, noted the human side of this transformation. “As more content providers, ISPs, banks, and public institutions localize their traffic through the IXP, end users benefit directly. We’re not just routing data, we’re building the foundation for Nigeria’s digital economy.”

IXPN is the country’s largest Internet Exchange Point and serves as a key node for West African connectivity. Over 130 organisations are already linked through its network, including giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and TikTok, alongside Nigeria’s mobile network operators.

Its reach goes beyond Lagos, IXPN has active exchange points in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Enugu, Delta, and Gombe. More are on the way. The organisation has plans to establish additional PoPs across the country by 2025, attract more content providers, and deploy technologies like caching to help platforms run more efficiently.

These initiatives have also earned IXPN recognition globally. It now operates as a MANRS-compliant exchange point, a standard that signals secure and trustworthy internet routing.

This progress is not accidental. It comes from deliberate investment, better collaboration among service providers, and an understanding that Nigeria can’t afford to outsource its internet forever, and so, the traffic growth is commendable.