Nigeria’s broadband penetration has risen to 54.3 per cent following increased network expansion and investments by telecommunications operators aimed at deepening the country’s digital economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission said on Thursday.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, disclosed this during the opening of the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos in partnership with the National Judicial Institute.
Speaking at the event themed, “Adjudicating in the Digital Era: The Judiciary’s Imperative in Connectivity, Infrastructure Protection and Online Safety,” Maida said broadband penetration increased “from 47.7 per cent recorded in 2025 to 54.3 per cent this year,” reflecting wider access to faster internet services across the country.
He said the growth was driven by substantial investments by telecom operators, who spent more than $1bn on network expansion in 2025 alone. According to him, the investments resulted in the deployment of thousands of additional telecom sites aimed at improving service quality, expanding coverage, and supporting rising demand for digital services.
“Nigeria is firmly on the path of digital transformation,” Maida said. “The rapid growth of digital payments, e-commerce platforms, startups, digital literacy, and the adoption of emerging technologies underscores the immense potential of our digital economy to drive innovation and expand opportunities.”
The NCC boss said data consumption by Nigerians also recorded a sharp increase over the past year, highlighting the country’s growing dependence on digital connectivity. He disclosed that Nigerians consumed more than 1.42 million terabytes of data in March 2026, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded in March 2025.
The latest figure translates to an average daily usage of about 45,800 terabytes, which Maida said was equivalent to Nigerians streaming more than 15 million hours of high-definition video daily.
By comparison, he noted that daily data usage stood at about 32,100 terabytes in the corresponding period last year, equivalent to roughly 10.7 million hours of HD video consumption per day. “This means Nigerians are now using the equivalent of about 4.6 million more hours of HD video every day than they did a year ago,” he said.
Maida described the figures as evidence of the resilience of the telecom sector and its growing contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth and social cohesion. However, he warned that the sector’s progress continued to face threats from vandalism, fibre cuts, equipment theft, and sabotage of telecommunications infrastructure.
He noted that telecommunications infrastructure had now been officially designated as critical national information infrastructure by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a move aimed at ensuring stronger protection for telecom assets considered vital to national security and economic stability.
“Despite this, we continue to witness disturbing levels of vandalism, fibre cuts, theft of equipment, and sabotage that disrupt services for millions of citizens and compromise national security,” Maida said.
According to him, the NCC is working with security agencies, telecom operators, and other stakeholders to strengthen protection measures through nationwide asset mapping, public sensitisation campaigns, mediation efforts, and stricter enforcement measures.
He added that collaboration between the NCC and the Office of the National Security Adviser had already led to the disruption of criminal syndicates involved in the theft and resale of telecom infrastructure equipment.
Maida also raised concerns over rising cybercrime and identity fraud linked to telecommunications services, saying the commission had introduced the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System to combat SIM-related fraud and other identity abuses.
He said the NCC had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Central Bank of Nigeria to help the financial services sector tackle electronic fraud perpetrated through mobile phone numbers.
The partnership, he said, would later be extended to agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Identity Management Commission as part of broader efforts to combat cybercrime.
Maida further warned that the rapid growth of internet usage had increased risks associated with misinformation, hate speech, online exploitation, cybersecurity threats, and data privacy breaches.
He said the NCC had reviewed its Internet Code of Practice to strengthen responsible internet governance while balancing innovation, investment, and consumer protection.
Addressing members of the judiciary attending the workshop, Maida said judges would play a critical role in shaping Nigeria’s digital future through decisions capable of influencing investor confidence, regulatory certainty, and public trust in the country’s digital ecosystem.
He added that the workshop would expose judges to discussions on telecommunications infrastructure resilience, artificial intelligence applications, subscriber identity management, cybersecurity, and internet governance.
