Nigeria’s internet subscriptions drop to 141.1 million in June as data usage hits record high

Active internet subscriptions across mobile, fixed, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) networks in Nigeria fell to 141.1 million in June 2025, according to the latest industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This marks a 0.3% decline compared to 141.5 million recorded in May.

The NCC data shows that mobile network operators MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and T2 (formerly 9mobile) continued to dominate the internet space with 140.6 million subscriptions.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other operators accounted for just 528,633 subscriptions as of the end of June.

Despite the drop in subscriber numbers, data usage in the country maintained its growth trajectory. Nigerians consumed 1.044 million terabytes of data in June, slightly up from the 1.043 million terabytes recorded in May.

The May figure remains the highest monthly usage since the NCC began publishing the statistics in January 2023.

Industry operators say this surge in consumption is being fueled by urban growth and increasing device penetration.

The Chief Executive Officer of T2, Dinesh Balsingh, speaking at a recent media roundtable, said, “Cities like Lagos are growing at lightning speed—more people, more businesses, more devices. Bandwidth consumption is rising at unprecedented rates, and we are investing heavily to expand capacity.”

READ ALSO: NCC, ONSA avert nationwide telecom disruption, pledge stronger protection for critical infrastructure

The NCC figures also show that total active mobile subscriptions across the four major networks fell to 171.5 million in June from 172.4 million in May, with MTN taking the largest hit.

MTN, which remains Nigeria’s largest operator, lost one million active lines in the month, dropping from 90.2 million in May to 89.2 million in June. T2 (9mobile) also saw its customer base shrink, losing 236,238 lines to close at 2.4 million, down from 2.6 million.

Airtel and Globacom bucked the trend, recording subscriber growth. Airtel added 36,316 new lines to reach 58.9 million, while Globacom gained 263,028, increasing its base to 20.8 million.

Despite the decline, MTN maintained its lead with 52.03% of the mobile market, followed by Airtel with 34.38%. Globacom’s market share stood at 12.18%, while T2 (9mobile) held 1.42%.

The overall drop in active lines also impacted Nigeria’s teledensity—measuring active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants—which fell to 79.22% in June from 79.65% in May