The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reported that data consumption in the country reached a record high of 721,522 terabytes in a single month, marking the highest monthly consumption ever recorded. This surpasses the previous record set in December 2023, which stood at 713,200 terabytes. The data was obtained from the regulator’s website on Tuesday.
The report also revealed a significant increase in active Internet subscriptions, totaling 161,977,883. This reflects a substantial rise from the 156,244,368 subscriptions recorded in January of the preceding year.
Internet subscriptions are composed of various service providers, including telcos (mobile), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Fixed connections. Mobile subscriptions accounted for 161,504,390, while Internet service providers—wired or wireless—recorded 213,876 subscriptions. Fixed wire connections totaled 21,437, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) reached 238,180.
Despite a decline of 1.9 million Internet users in January 2024 compared to December 2023, dropping from 163.8 million to 161.9 million, Internet penetration remained robust at 42.53 percent. Broadband subscriptions totaled 92,195,937 million.
The data also revealed the dominance of 2G connections, although the proportion of 4G subscriptions has been steadily rising. In January 2024, 2G connections accounted for 57.78 percent, while 3G subscriptions stood at 9.36 percent. In December 2023, 3G subscriptions accounted for 9.80 percent of the market share.
The surge in data consumption and Internet subscriptions underscores the increasing reliance on digital connectivity in Nigeria. As more individuals and businesses embrace digital technologies, there is a growing demand for robust and high-speed Internet services across the country.
