Between January and April 2025, Nigeria saw a noticeable drop in internet data consumption, shedding 17,647 terabytes within just three months.
This decline coincided with the implementation of a new tariff regime that significantly raised the cost of telecom services nationwide.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) latest industry report, total internet usage fell from 1,000,930.60 terabytes in January to 983,283.43 terabytes in April — a 1.76% decline.
This trend follows the NCC’s approval of a 50% hike in telecom tariffs, which took effect in February. The revised rates pushed the average cost of 1GB of data from ₦287.50 to ₦431.25, as operators struggled with inflation, unstable forex rates, and high energy costs.
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A closer month-by-month look reveals how consumer behaviour responded to the price hike. In February — the first full month under the new pricing — internet usage plunged to 893,054.80 terabytes, marking a steep 10.8% drop from January.
March brought a temporary bounce-back, with usage climbing to 995,876.10 terabytes, suggesting that some users adapted briefly by altering consumption habits or adjusting budgets. Yet, this rebound didn’t last long. In April, usage dipped again, down by 12,592.67 terabytes from March’s total, pointing to sustained pressure on consumer affordability.
Alongside reduced data consumption, the number of active internet subscribers also declined over the same timeframe — a clear indication that the cost burden may be pushing more users offline or reducing their engagement with digital services.
