MTN Nigeria has reported that average mobile data consumption per subscriber reached 14.8GB per month, reflecting growing demand for internet services driven by rising smartphone adoption across the country. The figure was disclosed in the company's latest H1 2026 financial report.

Average data usage per subscriber increased 15.2% year-on-year, contributing to a 38.4% rise in data revenue to ₦1.70 trillion during the first half of 2026, compared with ₦1.23 trillion in the same period of 2025. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and largest mobile market, making MTN Nigeria's data trends a key indicator of digital uptake across the broader West African region.

Data remained MTN Nigeria's largest source of service revenue, accounting for more than half of the company's ₦2.97 trillion in service revenue generated over the six-month period. MTN attributed the growth to an increase in active data users, rising smartphone penetration, and sustained demand for high-speed internet services. The revenue growth also comes against the backdrop of tariff adjustments approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission in early 2025, which allowed operators to raise service prices after years of pressure from inflation and currency devaluation.

Network data traffic increased 25.8%, while the data subscriber base grew 9.3% to 55.7 million users, up from 51 million a year earlier. Smartphone penetration reached 66.4%, meaning approximately two out of every three MTN subscribers now access the network using devices capable of consuming larger volumes of internet data. Notably, with 55.7 million data users out of a total subscriber base of 92.2 million, a significant portion of MTN's customers remain non-data users, representing a continued conversion opportunity as device affordability improves.

The figures indicate that Nigerians are not only coming online in greater numbers but are also consuming significantly more data than before. An average MTN data subscriber now uses nearly 15GB per month — sufficient for streaming high-definition video, participating in video calls, browsing social media, playing online games, and using cloud-based applications.

The increased usage reflects a broader reliance on digital services for work, entertainment, education, banking, and communication. Nigeria's fintech, e-commerce, and digital media sectors have expanded rapidly, increasing the range of applications that drive mobile data consumption.

MTN described data as its "largest structural growth opportunity," noting that continued investments in network capacity remain necessary to support rising demand. The operator also identified home broadband as a long-term growth area, expanding its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) offerings to meet demand for reliable high-speed internet. Fixed broadband penetration in Nigeria has historically lagged mobile internet uptake, and operators like MTN are positioning FWA and FTTH to close that gap.

Beyond data, MTN reported robust overall financial performance during the period. Total revenue rose 25.9% year-on-year to ₦2.99 trillion, while profit after tax climbed 70.6% to ₦707.5 billion.

The company grew its total subscriber base to 92.2 million, an increase of 8.9% from 84.7 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, reinforcing its position as Nigeria's largest mobile network operator.