Nigerian Telecom Users Spent N9 Trillion on Airtime in 2025 as ARPU and Data Usage Jumped
Updated
Updated · Daily Trust · May 28
Nigerian Telecom Users Spent N9 Trillion on Airtime in 2025 as ARPU and Data Usage Jumped
3 articles · Updated · Daily Trust · May 28
About N9 trillion went to airtime and data purchases across Nigeria’s four biggest operators in 2025, lifting sector revenue sharply and helping MTN return to profit with N1.11 trillion after tax.
ARPU gains drove the surge after a 50% tariff increase and heavier internet use: MTN’s monthly ARPU rose to N5,184 from N3,542, while Airtel’s climbed to N3,326 from N2,599.
MTN generated roughly N5.3 trillion from 90.3 million customers and Airtel about N3.1 trillion from 60.9 million, while analysts estimated Globacom and 9mobile together took in nearly N2 trillion.
Data demand kept accelerating as MTN’s average usage reached 13.1GB a month and Airtel’s 11GB; nationwide consumption hit 1.42 million terabytes in March 2026, or about 45,800 terabytes a day.
That growth is straining networks, prompting operators to commit to 12,000 site upgrades this year even as consumer groups say higher spending has yet to deliver better service quality.