Nigerians spent ₦1.7tn on MTN data in H1 2026 amid economic pressures

Nigerians' appetite for internet connectivity remains strong, with consumers spending an estimated ₦1.7 trillion on MTN Nigeria's data services in the first half of 2026. This sustained demand persists despite significant economic pressures.

MTN Nigeria's unaudited financial statements reveal a substantial 38.3% surge in data revenue, reaching ₦1.699 trillion for the six months ending June 30, 2026. This figure surpasses the ₦1.229 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. Data services now represent the company's primary revenue generator, outperforming voice services, which brought in ₦897.14 billion, and SMS, which contributed ₦112.68 billion.

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We delivered a strong first-half performance, with sustained commercial momentum, improved profitability and robust cash generation.

The telecom operator's overall revenue climbed to ₦2.99 trillion, an increase from ₦2.38 trillion in the first half of 2025. MTN attributed this growth to its mobile data, fixed broadband, and data bundles, excluding roaming data. The company also expanded its customer base by 4.9 million, reaching 92.2 million subscribers, and saw active data users increase by 2.5 million to 55.7 million.

Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, acknowledged the "strong commercial momentum" and "resilient demand" despite a "challenging operating environment" and "macroeconomic headwinds." The company reported a 25.63% year-on-year revenue increase and a 50.71% rise in operating profit to ₦1.26 trillion. Profit after tax more than doubled to ₦694.54 billion. MTN also benefited from a more stable foreign exchange environment, recording a ₦36.4 billion foreign exchange gain compared to a loss in the previous year.

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demand for the company’s services remained resilient despite macroeconomic headwinds.