Nigeria’s Internet usage drops to 1.26M terabytes in February

Nigerians consumed a total of 1.26 million terabytes of Internet data in February 2026, averaging about 45,000 terabytes per day, according to the latest Nigerian Communications Commission industry data. The figures point to steadily rising demand for digital services.

Although total data consumption fell by 125,475 terabytes from January’s 1.38 million terabytes, average daily usage increased slightly. January recorded an average of 44,694.71 terabytes per day, compared to 45,000 terabytes in February, representing a modest 0.7% increase.

Telecom industry expert, Osita Odafi, attributed this difference to what he described as the “calendar effect.” January has 31 days, while February typically has 28 days (or 29 in a leap year), which affects total monthly figures.

“When you look at the average daily traffic month-on-month, there is a +0.7% growth,” Odafi said.

The rise in daily data consumption, despite a shorter month, signals a deeper shift in Nigeria’s digital economy: demand is not just growing but intensifying on a per-user, per-day basis. 

This steady rise reflects greater reliance on data-intensive services such as streaming, fintech, remote work, and social media platforms. It also places additional pressure on telecom infrastructure while creating expanded revenue opportunities for operators. 

More broadly, the data highlight how internet usage is becoming integral to everyday economic activity, underscoring the need for sustained investment in network capacity, affordable services, and digital infrastructure to keep pace with demand.

MTN Nigeria and Airtel were the biggest beneficiaries of this growth. MTN added over 1.1 million Internet subscribers in February, increasing its user base from 81 million in January to 82.1 million. Airtel also recorded strong growth, gaining 507,596 subscribers to reach 54 million users, up from 53.5 million.

“All telcos gain subscribers, mobile and Internet users daily and monthly,” Odafi explained. “But for months when you have more churn than actual numbers gained, it would seem as though the telco didn’t gain subscribers for that month.”