National internet expansion grows, but high costs and bureaucratic delays still beset penetration
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
National internet penetration grew to 48.15 per cent in April, up from 47.73 per cent in March, according to latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
But the modest gain is eclipsed by a second consecutive month of declining data consumption, driven by steep tariff hikes and mounting economic pressures forcing folks to scale back on internet usage.
Nigeria is poised to miss its internet penetration target for 2025 set at 70 per cent by the National Broadband Plan in its NBP 2020–2025 projection.
Stakeholders say the country remains a long way from achieving its 70 per cent penetration target and the current trajectory makes it unlikely for it to be reached by the end of 2025.
The slow progress is blamed on persistent challenges, including high costs and bureaucratic delays in obtaining right-of-way for infrastructure deployment, with only a few states waiving these fees.
The NCC reported that data usage dropped to 983,283.43 terabytes in April, down from 995,876.10 terabytes in March.
The dip follows a sharp fall earlier in the year, when data consumption plummeted from a record one million terabytes in January to 893,054.80 terabytes in February, accompanied by a loss of about one million internet subscribers.
March saw a partial recovery with an 11.5 per cent increase in data usage and subscriptions rebounding to 142.05 million, but the figures slipped again to 141.99 million subscribers in April.
Nigeria’s digital economy faces significant challenges hindering a huge appetite for data that is driven by digital lifestyle trends, network expansion, and the internet’s vital role in education, commerce, and social connectivity.
A lack affordability stalls progress, with internet penetration still below the 50 per cent mark. Industry experts warn that without addressing these cost barriers, Nigeria’s nascent digital economy could falter.
The NCC data also shows a surge in subscriber porting, with 6,789 customers switching networks in April, a 121 per cent increase from 3,064 in March.
MTN led the gainers (3,960 subscribers), followed by Airtel (1,860) and Globacom (966), and 9mobile (three).
The NCC explained that 208,482 active subscribers for data services across networks may represent a specific segment of the market.
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