The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reported a sharp rise in monthly mobile data consumption, noting an increase of about 140 percent — from approximately 518,000 terabytes in January 2023 to more than 1.23 million terabytes by November 2025.
In its New Year message, the commission cautioned that the surge in usage is placing growing strain on telecommunications networks.
The NCC admitted that many subscribers continue to face uneven service quality, congestion in high-traffic areas, service disruptions caused by power supply issues and infrastructure damage, as well as delays in resolving complaints.
“Operators, in turn, continue to face deep-rooted challenges, including rising operating costs, energy and logistics constraints, right-of-way issues, and persistent vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure,” the regulator said.
“These realities affect both the pace of expansion and the quality of service delivery.”
The commission also disclosed that broadband subscriptions rose to 109.6 million in December 2025, up from 96.3 million recorded in December 2024.
According to the NCC, renewed investment drive and wider network rollouts contributed to measurable improvements across the sector.
“Over the year, operators deployed over 2,800 new and upgraded sites, strengthening both coverage and capacity nationwide,” the commission said.
“As a result, broadband subscriptions grew by 6% from about 96.3 million to over 109.6 million from December 2024 to December 2025, lifting broadband penetration from 44.43% to 50.58% today.”
Although network performance remains uneven in some areas, the NCC said significant progress was achieved during the year.
The regulator revealed that median 4G mobile download speeds improved by about 24 percent, increasing from roughly 16 megabits per second (Mbps) to 20 Mbps, while average 4G download speeds climbed by 18 percent, from about 28 Mbps to 33 Mbps.
The NCC noted that 4G continues to be Nigeria’s leading broadband technology, accounting for around 52 percent of mobile connections, and therefore best reflects the typical user experience.
“This expansion was underpinned by stronger network foundations, with 4G population coverage consolidating at about 85% and 5G expanding to roughly 13% of the population and continuing to grow,” the NCC added.
“Together, these gains mark steady progress and set the stage for rising digital use and higher expectations for network performance and reliability.”
NCC PLEDGES QUALITY SERVICE, TRANSPARENT TARIFFS IN 2026
Looking ahead, the commission said Nigerians should expect clearer voice calls, more stable data services, fewer preventable outages, faster service restoration and timely refunds for failed recharges.
Additional commitments outlined by the NCC include simpler and more transparent pricing, a safer and more resilient internet environment, and ongoing network expansion, especially in underserved and unserved areas.
The NCC explained that its regulatory priorities in 2026 will focus on outcomes that directly benefit consumers, implemented through clear regulations, active oversight and consistent enforcement.
On quality of service (QoS) and network resilience, the commission said it will intensify QoS monitoring, improve major incident reporting and push measures to enhance network availability, particularly in congested locations and long-standing coverage gaps.
“We will reinforce tariff transparency, accuracy of billing, customer care standards, and protections against misleading practices. Consumers will also see more consistent public communication during major service incidents,” the commission said.
“In 2026, we will operationalise the revised Corporate Governance Code for the communications sector, thus strengthening board and management accountability and making governance a key driver of operator performance.”
While recognising operators as key drivers of investment and innovation, the commission stressed that accountability would be enforced.
“The consumer’s experience must improve,” the NCC added.
Operators were advised to invest further in network growth and resilience, minimise avoidable service disruptions, simplify tariff structures, enhance customer service, safeguard telecommunications infrastructure and fully comply with corporate governance and regulatory requirements.
The commission assured operators of fair, transparent and non-discriminatory regulation, greater regulatory efficiency, structured engagement with stakeholders and firm action in cases of sustained non-compliance.