By Anita Dennis
Nigeria’s digital economy is generating unprecedented demand for telecommunications services, with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recording 1.5 million terabytes of data consumed by telecommunications subscribers in May 2026, the highest monthly usage recorded in the country.
The figure highlights the rapid growth of internet-dependent activities, from digital payments and e-commerce to video streaming, social media, online services and content creation.
According to the latest industry statistics from the NCC, the increase is occurring alongside a continuing migration towards faster-generation networks. As of May, 54.30 percent of internet users were connected through 4G networks, while 5G accounted for 4.49 percent. By contrast, 3G represented only 5.10 percent of connections. The May record continues a strong upward trend in data consumption.
Earlier in the year, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed that Nigerians were consuming approximately 45,800 terabytes of data every day. That translated into 1.42 million terabytes in March 2026, compared with 995,000 terabytes during the corresponding period of 2025.
By May, average daily consumption had increased to about 48,518 terabytes.
The growth reflects the increasing role of digital services in everyday economic activity. The NCC has attributed the broader expansion to digital payments, e-commerce, technology startups, digital literacy initiatives and emerging technologies.
Content creation is also contributing significantly to network demand.
Telecommunications consultant, Adewale Adeoye, told the media that the growing number of Nigerians producing and consuming online video was becoming an important driver of data usage.
“Almost every Nigerian is now a content creator. Everybody wants to post a video of what is happening around them or what they saw elsewhere for engagement and as they keep uploading and people keep watching, watching, the amount of data used will continue to increase,” Adeoye said.
The increased consumption is commercially significant for telecommunications operators because data services have become a major source of industry revenue. More subscribers are using their devices for activities that require continuous connectivity and larger volumes of data.
However, the increase also places greater demands on telecommunications infrastructure.
As traffic rises, operators need to expand network capacity and upgrade existing infrastructure to maintain service quality. The NCC disclosed earlier this year that telecommunications companies invested more than N2.5 trillion in network infrastructure in 2025, partly in response to concerns about poor service quality.
Operators have also committed to upgrading 12,000 sites in 2026 as part of efforts to improve network performance and service delivery.
The continuing migration towards 4G and 5G could help accommodate some of the additional demand. Newer technologies generally provide greater capacity and faster speeds, supporting services such as high-definition video, cloud applications, digital commerce and other data-intensive activities.
The growth in data consumption nevertheless creates a continuing requirement for investment. Network infrastructure must expand alongside demand if Nigeria’s digital economy is to maintain its current trajectory without service quality deteriorating.
For the regulator, the challenge is therefore increasingly two-sided. The NCC must facilitate an environment that encourages sustained telecommunications investment while also ensuring that operators meet service standards and consumers receive reliable connectivity.
For businesses and consumers, the record data usage indicates how deeply digital services have become embedded in economic and social activity.
Nigeria’s 1.5 million-terabyte monthly record is consequently more than a telecommunications statistic. It provides an indication of the scale at which Nigerians are communicating, trading, creating content, conducting financial transactions and accessing services online.
The trend suggests that the country’s digital economy is entering a phase in which connectivity is no longer simply about access. It is increasingly about capacity, reliability and the ability of telecommunications infrastructure to support the volume and complexity of activity taking place across Nigeria’s digital space.
