Nigerians used 1.26 million terabytes of data in February, down from January

Nigerians consumed a total of 1.26 million terabytes of Internet data in February 2026, averaging about 45,000 terabytes per day, according to the latest Nigerian Communications Commission industry data. The figures point to steadily rising demand for digital services. Although total data consumption fell by 125,475 terabytes from January’s 1.38 million terabytes, average daily usage increased slightly. January recorded an average of 44,694.71 terabytes per day, compared to 45,000 terabytes in February, representing a modest 0.7% increase. #tc-interactive-dashboard, #tc-interactive-dashboard * { box-sizing: border-box; } .tc-dash-header { background: #F6F6F6; padding: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #E3E8EF; } .tc-dash-header h3 { margin: 0 0 8px 0; font-size: 1.25rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.3; } .tc-dash-header p { margin: 0; font-size: 0.875rem; color: #666; line-height: 1.6; } .tc-dash-section { padding: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #E3E8EF; } .tc-dash-section:last-child { border-bottom: none; } .tc-section-title { font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 700; margin: 0 0 16px 0; color: #151515; } /* Interactive Inputs - Mobile Stacking / .tc-grid-2 { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 16px; } @media (min-width: 480px) { .tc-grid-2 { flex-direction: row; } .tc-input-wrapper { flex: 1; } } .tc-input-wrapper { position: relative; width: 100%; } .tc-input-wrapper label { display: block; font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 8px; color: #666; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px; } / Taller inputs for easier mobile tapping (min 48px height) / .tc-input-wrapper input { width: 100%; padding: 16px 16px 16px 40px; border: 2px solid #E3E8EF; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; color: #151515; transition: border-color 0.2s; background: #fff; appearance: none; } .tc-input-wrapper input:focus { outline: none; border-color: #EA2D2E; } .tc-input-prefix { position: absolute; left: 16px; top: 41px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 600; color: #666; } .tc-input-suffix { position: absolute; right: 16px; top: 41px; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: 600; color: #666; } / Calculator Results - Mobile Stacking / .tc-result-card { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 16px; background: #F6F6F6; padding: 20px; border-radius: 6px; margin-top: 20px; border-left: 4px solid #EA2D2E; } @media (min-width: 480px) { .tc-result-card { flex-direction: row; } } .tc-result-item { flex: 1; } .tc-result-item span { display: block; font-size: 0.75rem; color: #666; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 4px; text-transform: uppercase; } .tc-result-item strong { display: block; font-size: 1.5rem; color: #151515; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; } @media (min-width: 480px) { .tc-result-item strong { font-size: 1.75rem; } } .tc-result-item .tc-red-text { color: #EA2D2E; } / Charts Area - Mobile Stacking / .tc-charts-container { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 32px; margin-top: 16px; } @media (min-width: 600px) { .tc-charts-container { flex-direction: row; gap: 24px; } } .tc-chart-box { flex: 1; position: relative; width: 100%; } .tc-chart-header { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 12px; } .tc-chart-header h5 { margin: 0 0 4px 0; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: 700; } .tc-chart-header span { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #666; } / SVG Bar Styling / .tc-svg-bar { cursor: pointer; transition: opacity 0.2s; } .tc-svg-bar:hover, .tc-svg-bar:active { opacity: 0.8; } / Tooltip - Mobile Safe / #tc-chart-tooltip { position: absolute; background: #151515; color: #fff; padding: 8px 12px; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 600; pointer-events: none; opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.2s; z-index: 20; white-space: nowrap; transform: translate(-50%, -100%); margin-top: -12px; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.15); max-width: 90vw; } #tc-chart-tooltip::after { content: ''; position: absolute; top: 100%; left: 50%; margin-left: -5px; border-width: 5px; border-style: solid; border-color: #151515 transparent transparent transparent; } / Legend */ .tc-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 16px; margin-top: 24px; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 600; color: #666; } .tc-legend-item { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px; } .tc-legend-color { width: 12px; height: 12px; border-radius: 2px; } Data Realities Dashboard Calculate your personal internet costs and explore national consumption trends for early 2026. 1. Your Daily Data Tracker Average Daily Usage GB Estimated Cost per GB ₦ Total Monthly Data 45.0 GB Estimated Monthly Cost ₦13,500 2. National Consumption: Jan vs Feb Total Monthly Usage (Millions of Terabytes) 1.38M 1.26M Daily Average Usage (Thousands of Terabytes) 44.7k 45.0k January February function tcUpdateCalculator(activeElementId) { const dailyInput = document.getElementById('tc-input-daily'); const costInput = document.getElementById('tc-input-cost'); if (activeElementId) { const activeInput = document.getElementById(activeElementId); let rawValue = activeInput.value.replace(/[^0-9.]/g, ''); let parts = rawValue.split('.'); if (parts.length > 2) { parts = [parts[0], parts.slice(1).join('')]; } parts[0] = parts[0].replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ','); let formattedValue = parts.join('.'); if (activeInput.value !== formattedValue) { activeInput.value = formattedValue; } } let dailyGb = parseFloat(dailyInput.value.replace(/,/g, '')) || 0; let costPerGb = parseFloat(costInput.value.replace(/,/g, '')) || 0; let monthlyGb = dailyGb * 30; let monthlyCost = monthlyGb * costPerGb; document.getElementById('tc-display-gb').innerText = monthlyGb.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits: 1, maximumFractionDigits: 1}) + ' GB'; document.getElementById('tc-display-cost').innerText = '₦' + monthlyCost.toLocaleString('en-US', {maximumFractionDigits: 0}); } // Mobile-Safe Tooltip Logic function showTcTooltip(e, text) { // Only prevent default on pure touch events to keep scrolling intact if needed if (e.type === 'touchstart' && e.cancelable) { e.preventDefault(); } const tooltip = document.getElementById('tc-chart-tooltip'); const dashboard = document.getElementById('tc-interactive-dashboard'); tooltip.innerText = text; tooltip.style.opacity = '1'; const dashRect = dashboard.getBoundingClientRect(); let clientX = e.clientX || (e.touches && e.touches[0].clientX); let clientY = e.clientY || (e.touches && e.touches[0].clientY); let xPos = clientX - dashRect.left; let yPos = clientY - dashRect.top; // Boundary detection for mobile screens if (xPos < 60) xPos = 60; if (xPos > dashRect.width - 60) xPos = dashRect.width - 60; tooltip.style.left = xPos + 'px'; tooltip.style.top = yPos + 'px'; } function hideTcTooltip() { document.getElementById('tc-chart-tooltip').style.opacity = '0'; } // Hide tooltip on outside tap document.addEventListener('touchstart', function(e) { if(e.target && e.target.tagName !== 'rect') { hideTcTooltip(); } }, {passive: true}); // Initialize tcUpdateCalculator(); Telecom industry expert, Osita Odafi, attributed this difference to what he described as the “calendar effect.” January has 31 days, while February typically has 28 days (or 29 in a leap year), which affects total monthly figures. “When you look at the average daily traffic month-on-month, there is a +0.7% growth,” Odafi said. The rise in daily data consumption, despite a shorter month, signals a deeper shift in Nigeria’s digital economy: demand is not just growing but intensifying on a per-user, per-day basis.  This steady rise reflects greater reliance on data-intensive services such as streaming, fintech, remote work, and social media platforms. It also places additional pressure on telecom infrastructure while creating expanded revenue opportunities for operators.  More broadly, the data highlight how internet usage is becoming integral to everyday economic activity, underscoring the need for sustained investment in network capacity, affordable services, and digital infrastructure to keep pace with demand. MTN Nigeria and Airtel were the biggest beneficiaries of this growth. MTN added over 1.1 million Internet subscribers in February, increasing its user base from 81 million in January to 82.1 million. Airtel also recorded strong growth, gaining 507,596 subscribers to reach 54 million users, up from 53.5 million. “All telcos gain subscribers, mobile and Internet users daily and monthly,” Odafi explained. “But for months when you have more churn than actual numbers gained, it would seem as though the telco didn’t gain subscribers for that month.”

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/03/31/nigerias-internet-usage-drops-to-1-26m-terabytes-in-february/