Latest industry data by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that Nigeria added around 904,000 new internet users in April 2026, pushing total internet subscribers to 154.7 million users.
Further breakdown shows that mobile network operators (MNOs) possess the largest share at 154.3 million users, followed by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with 220,166 and Fixed Wired, largely fueled by MTN FibreX, at 156,662.
However, April subscriber data for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) is unavailable, but subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2025 stood at 352,006.
As more Nigerians continue to penetrate the digital space, the highlight of the month was the massive addition witnessed in broadband internet subscribers, which now has about 120.7 million users.
Nearly 3 million Nigerians have now switched to broadband subscriptions, underscoring the sustained demand for high-speed, high-capacity networks. The increase, compared to previous months, now marks the highest in 2026. It has also pushed broadband penetration up by 1.37 percentage points to 55.67% from 54.30% in March 2026.
The development reflects how shifts in technology, new smartphone interfaces, large files for download and upload keep pushing Nigeria’s demand for quality internet.
In addition, the surge in broadband usage can be attributed to smartphones and other portable devices that use cellular networks such as 4G and 5G. Both networks now take a 58.75% share of total telecom subscribers, showing the continued shift from 2G/3G to 4G/5G.
Other significant contributors are high-speed internet accessed through ISPs, Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), fixed wired and wireless.
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The mixed bag for Nigerian internet subscribers
The increased broadband subscribers, signifying more demand for high-speed data, did not fully materialise in the measurement of data used during the month.
According to industry data, Nigerians used 1.414 million terabytes in April, short of the 1.422 million recorded in March 2026. However, April’s data usage marks the second in the 1.4 million range, but it doesn’t account for the spike in broadband subscriptions compared to the previous month.
For Nigerian users, poor network quality still curtails their internet usage experience. Operators largely attribute this to frequent fibre cuts, refuse burns in manholes affecting fibre ducts, vandalism and power outages. With increased infrastructure upgrades and clampdown on bad actors, telcos have promised to improve network quality.
Concerns come when smartphone penetration is increasing. As of April, Nigerian telecom operators now have 188 million subscribers, a 1.24% rise from 185.7 million recorded in the previous month. Teledensity, which measures coverage per population, rose from 85.67% to 86.75%.
MTN Nigeria maintains its leadership position with 96.4 million users as it closes in on the 100 million mark. Airtel is second with 64.7 million, followed by Globacom with 23.2 million. T2mobile (formerly 9mobile), in its quest to regain lost users, has now reached 3.6 million subscribers.
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