Telecommunications subscribers in Nigeria consumed a record 1.5 million terabytes of data in May, marking the highest monthly data usage ever recorded in the country.

The figure was disclosed in the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

The increase in data consumption comes as more Nigerians migrate to higher-generation networks, particularly 4G and 5G, which offer faster internet speeds.

The surge is also being driven by the growing number of digital content creators in the country, whose activities require increased data usage.

NCC data shows that the share of Nigerian internet users on 4G networks rose to 54.30 per cent in May, while 5G adoption continued to grow, reaching 4.49 per cent.

In contrast, 3G usage continued to decline, with the technology accounting for just 5.10 per cent of connections as of May 2026.

Meanwhile, internet subscriptions across Nigeria’s four major mobile network operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom and T2—also increased during the month.

According to the NCC data, active mobile subscriptions rose from 154.3 million in April to 157 million in May.

MTN maintained its dominance in the market, accounting for 83.5 million subscriptions during the month.

Airtel Nigeria followed with 55.8 million internet connections, while Globacom and T2 recorded 16.8 million and 802,534 subscriptions, respectively.