MTN Nigeria’s latest financial results suggest that a growing number of Nigerians are spending more time online, consuming more video, using more social media, and relying more heavily on mobile internet than they did a year ago. The result is showing up clearly in the company’s numbers.
In the first half of 2026, the average MTN subscriber used 14.8GB of data per month, a 15.2% increase from the same period last year. At the same time, the company’s base of active data users expanded to 55.7 million, up 9.3% year-on-year.
The figures were disclosed in MTN Nigeria’s unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, filed with the Nigerian Exchange on July 30.
Also Check: How your data subscription powered MTN to a N1.09 trillion profit in H1 2026
More Nigerians are using more data
The most revealing number in the report is not just the increase in subscribers, but the increase in consumption.
MTN said network data traffic rose by 25.8%, meaning the total volume of data flowing through its network grew significantly over the past year. That kind of growth usually happens when two things occur simultaneously: more people come online, and existing users consume even more data.
The company now has 55.7 million active data users, and each of those users is, on average, consuming nearly 15GB every month. For a market that only a few years ago was still heavily dependent on voice calls, the shift is substantial.
The N1.70 trillion data business
Behind those usage figures is an enormous revenue engine.
Between January and June 2026, MTN generated N1.70 trillion from data services, a 38.4 percent increase from the same period in 2025.
Data has become the company’s most important growth driver, contributing more than half of its total service revenue of N3.0 trillion during the period.
MTN says the growth was driven by a combination of higher smartphone penetration, stronger customer engagement, and rising demand for data-intensive services.
In the report, the company said the increase in network traffic and per-user consumption “reinforces the depth of demand and the importance of continued capacity investment.”
Why smartphone adoption matters
One number helps explain why data usage is accelerating so quickly: smartphone penetration reached 66.4 percent.
As more subscribers move from feature phones to smartphones, they also migrate to apps, streaming platforms, digital payments, online education, and cloud-based services. In practical terms, the average Nigerian smartphone user is now doing far more online than simply browsing the web.
That behavioural shift is becoming increasingly valuable for telecom operators.
MTN’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, said the company’s first-half performance reflected the resilience of demand for its services despite a difficult operating environment.
The company is responding by continuing to invest in network capacity and coverage, suggesting that it expects data demand to keep rising.
“With smartphone penetration at 66.4 percent, data remains our largest structural growth opportunity,” the company said.