The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reported a landmark in data consumption, reaching an all-time high of 721,522 terabytes for the month of January 2024, surpassing the previous record of 713,200 terabytes in December 2023.
The surge in data usage coincided with a significant rise in active Internet subscriptions, totaling 161,977,883—an impressive increase from 156,244,368 subscriptions in January of the previous year.
These subscriptions comprise various service providers, including mobile telcos, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and fixed connections. Mobile subscriptions dominated the landscape, accounting for 161,504,390, while ISPs (wired or wireless) recorded 213,876 subscriptions, fixed wire connections totaled 21,437, and VoIP reached 238,180.
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Despite a slight decline of 1.9 million Internet users from December 2023, dropping to 161.9 million in January 2024, Internet penetration remained robust at 42.53 percent, with broadband subscriptions totaling 92,195,937.
The data also revealed a notable shift towards high-speed connectivity, with 4G subscriptions increasing from 31.33 percent in December 2023 to 31.75 percent in January 2024. Additionally, 5G subscriptions accounted for 1.11 percent of all connections in Nigeria in January 2024, up from 1.04 percent the previous month.
However, Africa maintains the lowest 5G coverage globally, standing at only 6 percent as of December 2023, according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). This is partly attributed to the continued reliance on older mobile technologies like 2G and 3G networks, which remain prevalent in countries like Nigeria.
Despite the global push towards advanced technologies, the ITU underscores the enduring importance of legacy networks in delivering essential mobile services, particularly in regions with limited access to 4G and 5G infrastructure.
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