Early this year, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave the green light for a 50% hike in telecom tariffs. That move handed telcos the green light to raise prices on calls, SMS, and data, and as we all know, they have taken full advantage of it. In the past few months, Nigerians have felt the sting: higher bills, but the same old network headaches.
The NCC, in its defence, promised that the price hike would come with better service and improved network quality across the board. So, three months in, what’s changed?
Coming off this story on what internet speed means for the average Nigerian, Technext took a short walk — and a few speed tests — across Lagos to find out. The results might surprise you.
Starting from Berger, the border town between Ogun and Lagos, there is a stark realisation that network quality works like the country’s electricity grid.
Using Google Fiber for Speed Test Analysis, this is what we found for MTN Nigeria:
- Ping: 20ms
Good latency — this suggests quick response times, which are suitable for video calls and gaming. - Jitter: 4 ms
Also good — low jitter indicates a stable connection, with little variation in ping times. - Download speed: 40.6 Mbps
This is a strong speed for mobile LTE — more than enough for HD streaming, downloads, Zoom calls, etc.
At the same Berger bus stop, Globacom showed — Ping: 55ms. Download speed: 3.8 Mbps. Jitter: a shaky 21ms. Upload? Just 0.8Mbps.
For context, that’s barely enough to stream a YouTube video without buffering, let alone join a Zoom call or upload a decent-sized file. And this is supposed to be one of the busiest, most connected parts of Lagos.
At Berger, Airtel’s internet speed is sluggish. Ping is 54ms, so response times are relatively slow, which can affect real-time applications like video calls or gaming.
The download speed of 3.1 Mbps is significantly below average, making tasks like streaming or even loading websites frustrating. A jitter of 13ms also suggests instability in the connection, meaning users might experience inconsistent performance, especially during calls or video conferencing. The upload speed of 1.6 Mbps is modest, barely sufficient for uploading files or hosting live sessions.
Computer Village, Ikeja
At another stop, Computer Village, one of Lagos’ busiest tech hubs, Airtel refused to load any pages with the message – “COULD NOT CONNECT” recurring. Multiple retries proved abortive.
Globacom worked, but its performance leaves much to be desired. With a ping of 36ms, the network shows moderate latency, which might not affect light browsing but could impact real-time applications like gaming or video calls.
A download speed of 3.8Mbps is quite low, making it difficult to stream videos in high quality or download large files quickly.
On the upside, the upload speed of 3.7 Mbps is relatively balanced with the download, which is unusual for many Nigerian networks and may benefit users who upload content often. However, a jitter of 10ms indicates some instability, which could result in inconsistent connectivity, especially during video conferencing.
MTN’s internet performance in this area showed relatively decent results. With a ping of 23ms, the connection was fairly responsive, which is important for tasks like video calls or online gaming that require low latency.
The download internet speed of 26.5 Mbps is modest and should support most everyday activities like streaming, browsing, or file downloads without major lag. The jitter measured at 4ms indicates a stable connection, meaning users are less likely to experience noticeable disruptions or inconsistency in service.
Oshodi
The network performance at Oshodi for MTN showed a relatively fast connection with a ping of 32 milliseconds, which indicates minimal delay when sending data between the device and the server.
The download speed of 12.4 Mbps is adequate for most online activities like browsing, streaming, and light downloading. However, the jitter of 15ms suggests some variation in the network’s response time, which may cause occasional disruptions or slight delays in real-time communications.
For Globacom at Oshodi, the ping of 63ms isn’t ideal but indicates a reasonable response time for the network, suggesting the connection isn’t too slow in terms of initial communication between devices. However, the download speed of 0.7 Mbps is extremely low, indicating poor data transfer rates, which would result in sluggish browsing or streaming experiences.
The jitter of 642ms shows high variability in delay, which can cause inconsistent performance and interruptions in real-time services like video calls or online gaming. The upload speed of 0.0 Mbps suggests that data cannot be uploaded at all, which can significantly hinder tasks like sending files, uploading content, or even making calls that rely on two-way data communication.
Airtel did not work in this area.
See the table for full information:
Airtel did not work in Computer Village, Ikeja, Ikorodu Garage, Anthony, Gbagada, Maryland, Ketu.
Globacom did not work in Ikorodu Garage, Ketu, Maryland.
| AREA | PROVIDER | PING (MS) | DOWNLOAD SPEED (MBPS) | UPLOAD SPEED (MBPS) | JITTER (MS) |
| BERGER | AIRTEL | 54 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 13 |
| SECRETARIAT | AIRTEL | 28 | 12.3 | 3.4 | 51 |
| COMPUTER VILAGE | AIRTEL | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING |
| MARYLAND | AIRTEL | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING |
| OJOTA | AIRTEL | 29 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 15 |
| KETU | AIRTEL | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING |
| AGRIC IKORODU | AIRTEL | 36 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 8 |
| MILE 12 | AIRTEL | 33 | 20.2 | 31.7 | 45 |
| AREA | PROVIDER | PING (MS) | DOWNLOAD SPEED (MBPS) | UPLOAD SPEED (MBPS) | JITTER (MS) |
| BERGER | GLOBACOM | 55 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 21 |
| SECRETARIAT | GLOBACOM | 40 | 3.5 | 8.7 | 9 |
| COMPUTER VILLAGE | GLOBACOM | 36 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 10 |
| MARYLAND | GLOBACOM | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING |
| OJOTA | GLOBACOM | 56 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2,206 |
| KETU | GLOBACOM | NOT WOKRING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING | NOT WORKING |
| AGRIC, IKORODU | GLOBACOM | 29 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 21 |
| IKORODU GARAGE | GLOBACOM | 68 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 15 |
| MILE 12 | GLOBACOM | 394 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 257 |
| ANTHONY | GLOBACOM | 41 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 23 |
| OSHODI | GLOBACOM | 63 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 642 |
| OJUELEGBA | GLOBACOM | 41 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 14 |
| GBAGADA | GLOBACOM | 57 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 13 |
| AREA | PROVIDER | PING (MS) | DOWNLOAD SPEED (MBPS) | JITTER (MS) |
| BERGER | MTN | 20 | 40.6 | 4 |
| SECRETARIAT | MTN | 22 | 48.2 | 2 |
| COMPUTER VILLAGE | MTN | 23 | 26.5 | 4 |
| MARYLAND | MTN | 34 | 19.3 | 71 |
| OJOTA | MTN | 18 | 25.5 | 5 |
| KETU | MTN | 22 | 5.5 | 8 |
| MILE 12 | MTN | 24 | 26.3 | 35 |
| AGRIC, IKORODU | MTN | 20 | 10.5 | 4 |
| IKORODU GARAGE | MTN | 24 | 10.9 | 5 |
| ANTHONY | MTN | 27 | 31.1 | 14 |
| OSHODI | MTN | 32 | 12.4 | 15 |
| OJUELEGBA | MTN | 21 | 28.3 | 4 |
| GBAGADA | MTN | 31 | 4.4 | 14 |
What internet speed really means for daily life
Beyond the bars on your phone, these numbers tell the true story of life in Lagos. In Maryland, where Globacom delivered 0.0 Mbps upload internet speed and Airtel didn’t work at all, remote workers struggle to even connect to their VPNs.
“I have to take Bolt rides to Ojota or Palmgrove just to send heavy files,” says Mide, a freelance graphic designer who lives near Maryland Mall.
“It’s either that or miss a client’s deadline.”
Meanwhile, in Ojota, where MTN clocks a respectable 25.5Mbps download internet speed and 5ms jitter, a fintech agent with a POS machine serves customers with little downtime. Contrast that with Ikorodu Garage, where Globacom could barely move data (0.0 Mbps down, 0.0 Mbps up) and Airtel didn’t connect at all.
For small business owners relying on internet-backed payment systems, this kind of dead zone means lost sales or forced hikes in service charges to make up for it.
The disparity isn’t just between telcos, it’s geographical too. Airtel’s 20.2 Mbps download and 31.7 Mbps upload internet speed in Mile 12 paints a picture of blazing speed, almost unbelievable in contrast with Berger’s 3.1 Mbps from the same provider.
“You go think say dem go do normal for this area as na major bus stop but see,” a commuter said. “But I no even fit watch video on Facebook.”
Even among high-performing areas, latency and jitter tell deeper stories. Gbagada, where Globacom posted 0.3Mbps down and 0.6Mbps up, is essentially unusable for live streaming or Zoom meetings. With jitter over 600ms in Oshodi (Globacom), even basic WhatsApp calls break apart like a scratched CD.
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