Internet data consumption in Nigeria reached 1,756,404.82 terabytes in August 2026, a monthly increase of 94,383.37 terabytes or 5.68%, according to the latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Traffic had totalled 1,662,021.45 terabytes in July. Over the same period, the number of mobile internet subscriptions rose from 157.27 million to 158.07 million, an increase of about 794,000 lines or 0.5%.
The gap suggests that the rise in traffic comes mainly from heavier use by customers already connected, rather than from the arrival of new subscribers alone. Year on year, consumption rose by about 52.4% compared with 1,152,347.24 terabytes recorded in August 2025.
This acceleration adds pressure on mobile networks, fibre links, data centres and the power supply to equipment. It could also support payment services, e-commerce, video and remote professional activities, provided that capacity and quality of service keep pace.
The regulator says its statistics are based on the latest operator returns available at the cut-off date of each period. They measure the volume carried over reporting networks and may be revised when new information is submitted.
The monthly increase therefore remains an indicator of demand, not a direct measure of operators' revenues or of the quality users experience. The narrow gap between growth in subscriptions and growth in traffic nonetheless places investment in capacity at the centre of the sector's needs.