The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has made a significant announcement, revealing a groundbreaking monthly data consumption of 721,522 terabytes in January 2024, marking a historic high in the country’s data usage trends.
Data retrieved from the regulator’s website on Tuesday unveiled this remarkable achievement, surpassing the previous record set in December 2023 at 713,200 terabytes. The surge in data consumption aligns with the increasing reliance on digital connectivity and services across Nigeria.
The report also highlighted a notable rise in active Internet subscriptions, totaling 161,977,883 in January 2024, a substantial increase compared to the 156,244,368 subscriptions reported in the corresponding period of the preceding year. The diverse range of service providers contributing to the Internet subscriptions include telcos (mobile), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Fixed connections.
Mobile subscriptions constituted the majority, with 161,504,390 subscriptions, while Internet service providers, both wired and wireless, accounted for 213,876 subscriptions. Fixed wire connections totaled 21,437, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) reached 238,180 subscriptions.
Despite a slight decline of 1.9 million Internet users in January 2024 compared to December 2023, the total number remained substantial at 161.9 million. Internet penetration was reported at 42.53 percent, with broadband subscriptions totaling 92,195,937 million.
The data also shed light on the evolving network landscape, with 2G connections maintaining dominance while the proportion of 4G subscriptions continues to increase steadily. In January 2024, 2G connections accounted for 57.78 percent, 3G for 9.36 percent, and 4G for 31.75 percent, reflecting a growing preference for high-speed connectivity.
Furthermore, the report revealed a notable uptick in 5G subscriptions, which accounted for 1.11 percent of all connections in Nigeria in January 2024, signaling a positive trend towards advanced network technologies.
