Nigeria’s mobile internet speed doubled in 2 years, driven by 4G adoption and data usage

Internet speed in Nigeria has witnessed a significant leap as average mobile download speed increased from 7.1 Mbps to 14.7 Mbps between the first quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2025. This is according to a report by nPerf, an internet speed test platform.

The report attributed the performance to two factors. First, the rising adoption of 4G networks. Second, the increase in data consumption by Nigerian internet users.

Industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) further backed this claim. Internet users used 1.236 million terabytes in November 2025, a significant increase from over 517,000 terabytes in January 2023.

The 4G network has also witnessed increasing adoption, attributed to the continuous rise in smartphone usage and internet users’ addiction to social media platforms. In less than two years, 4G has witnessed a meteoric rise to become the leading network usage in Nigeria. Its market share increased by 131.4% from 25.06% in May 2023 to 51.99% in November 2025. 

Aside from the impact of 4G network adoption and data consumption on the download speed performance, upload speed is not left out. The nPerf report revealed that upload speed increased by more than four times (4x) in two years, from 1.77 Mbps to 7.28 Mbps. 

The performance is credited to sustained investment by Nigerian Telcos. According to nPerf, the result “reflects the growing adoption of digital services and places additional pressure on mobile infrastructures.”

In addition, the report noted that there’s been a jump in 4G testing activity on MTN, Airtel, and Globacom networks, up from 49% in 2022 to 64% now. This shows that more people are shifting from 2G/3G to 4G networks and an improved 4G coverage, as revealed in the industry data.

Nigerian telcos were also praised for the modernisation of their networks through various partnerships. Recall that MTN and Airtel partnered to improve coverage in rural areas. Also, MTN recently agreed to lease its spectrum to T2mobile (formerly 9mobile), allowing users to enjoy quality and consistent connectivity.

The credit for infrastructure upgrade comes amid recent efforts by Nigerian telcos to improve connectivity nationwide.

Last week, the NCC EVC, Dr Aminu Maida, while commenting on the Q4 2025 Network Performance Reports, pointed out that operators deployed infrastructure worth more than $1 billion into the industry in 2025. This cut across the extension of tower sites, an increase in fibre-optic cable layouts, and other facilities.

The move also forms part of the operator’s pledge to bolster investment strategies and its operational performance following the 50% telecoms tariff adjustment.

Read More: NCC: Telecom operators spent over $1 billion on new tower sites, fibre optic cables, others in 2025.

Nigeria’s internet: Steaming performance and digital divide need improvement 

While there is a significant network boost and surge in data consumption, streaming performance still gives users a disturbing online experience. The report cited that Nigerians still experience some outages when streaming music, videos, online games, and live sports. 

In a January report by nPerf titled Barometer of Mobile Internet Connections in Nigeria, MTN led as the best in streaming performance with 67.02%, while Airtel followed with 62.50%. Globacom comes a little above average with 52.44% performance.

Meanwhile, nPerf noted that the streaming performance it measures has not improved, and “further efforts are still required from operators to enhance performance.” It noted that stakeholders must improve network densification, increase interconnections, or deploy more YouTube cache servers within the country.

Also, the digital divide still needs more focus. The report cited that disparities between urban and rural areas persist, making digital inclusion a major challenge. 

While industry data by NCC shows that overall download speed in rural areas increased from an average of 8.5 Mbps to 11.0 Mbps within a year, it’s still far from the urban rate, which stood at 20.5 Mbps. The difference still reveals a gap in accessibility and infrastructure deployment.

The report encouraged Telcos and the government to continue to work on solutions to expand 4G and 5G coverage, and improve the infrastructural resilience. Also, rural areas and unserved communities should be included in the digital backbone plan.

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