An Information and Communication Technology, ICT expert, Engr. Abdulauf Adamu, has explained why many Nigerians feel they are paying more for mobile data that finishes quickly.
He attributed the situation to a mix of economic pressures, infrastructure challenges, rising usage, and regulatory issues.
Engr. Adamu, who is the Director of Consultancy Services at Jigawa State Polytechnic for Information & Communication Technology, Kazaure (Informatics Institute Kazaure), said the perception that data is both expensive and short-lived is not entirely imagined.
According to him, several factors contribute to the feeling that data doesn’t last as long as expected.
“The feeling that data doesn’t last can sometimes be attributed to background app updates on smartphones consuming data without the user’s knowledge,” he explained to DAILY POST.
He also pointed out that many applications automatically stream content in high definition, which consumes more data.
“Higher resolution streaming is another factor, as many apps auto-set to HD if users do not adjust the settings,” he said.
Engr. Adamu further noted that the absence of widespread Wi-Fi access worsens the situation.
“There is also a lack of widespread Wi-Fi offloading, meaning every byte of internet usage is consumed directly from mobile data plans,” he added.
On whether data is truly more expensive or whether usage is simply increasing, the expert said both are happening simultaneously.
“Both data costs and data usage in Nigeria have increased,” he said.
He revealed that the average cost of 1GB of data rose significantly within two years.
“The average cost of 1GB increased from ₦287.5 in 2023 to ₦637.5 in 2025, representing a 307.74 per cent increase,” he stated, attributing the hike to rising operational costs and infrastructure challenges.
At the same time, he said Nigerians are consuming far more data than before.
“Average monthly data consumption per subscriber jumped from 3.86GB in July 2023 to 8.15GB in July 2025,” Engr. Adamu explained.
Looking ahead, he warned that pressure on data networks will continue to grow.
“The Nigerian Communications Commission projects that mobile data traffic will almost triple within five years, from 11.9 exabytes in 2025 to 31.7 exabytes by 2030,” he said.
According to him, this surge is being driven by increased smartphone penetration, expansion of 4G networks, and selective rollout of 5G services.
Engr. Adamu also addressed concerns about whether technical differences between networks could cause faster data drain on some providers.
He explained that network configuration varies across operators and can affect how data is consumed.
“Different networks might have varying settings that impact data usage,” he said.
He added that signal quality also plays a role.
“Weaker signals can cause devices to consume more data as they try to maintain connectivity,” he noted.
The ICT expert further explained that data compression methods and app behavior may differ across networks.
“Some networks may compress data more efficiently, reducing overall consumption, while background app behavior may also vary depending on the network,” he said.
On affordability, Engr. Adamu noted that pricing and service quality differ among telecom operators.
“In terms of affordability, Glo currently offers the cheapest data plans, while MTN is known for reliability and speed. Airtel provides a balance between pricing and speed,” he said.
However, he stressed that the deeper reasons Nigerians pay more for data lie beyond consumer habits or network choices.
“Nigerians pay a disproportionate amount of their income for mobile data due to a perfect storm of macroeconomic woes such as foreign exchange pressure and inflation, combined with crippling infrastructure deficits, especially power supply, and a market structure that does not fully prioritize consumer affordability,” he explained.
He said addressing the problem requires coordinated efforts from both government and industry players.
“Government action is needed on power and security, alongside regulatory review of levies imposed on telecom operators,” Engr. Adamu said.
He also called for infrastructure sharing among telecom companies.
“Incentivizing infrastructure sharing among operators would help reduce costs,” he added.
According to him, until these underlying issues are resolved, the burden will continue to fall on consumers.
“Solving this problem requires concerted efforts. Until the core challenges are addressed, Nigerians will continue to bear the cost,” he said.
Engr. Adamu concluded that making data affordable should be a long-term national goal.
According to him, government policies play a key role in affordability, particularly through competition, infrastructure sharing, and regulatory reviews.
“First, the government could reduce taxes on telecom services, like VAT and customs duties on equipment. This would help companies lower their costs, and maybe they’d pass the savings on to us
He added that telecom companies must also play their part.
He said telecom companies need to innovate in pricing, reduce costs through technology, and explore volume-based models to improve affordability.
“Telecom companies could also look into shared infrastructure agreements, so they are not all building their own towers everywhere. Plus, promoting competition would force prices down.”
Ultimately, he stressed that internet access should be treated as a necessity.
“The ultimate goal is to treat data not as a luxury, but as an essential utility. That mindset should guide both policy and business strategy,” he concluded.
Nigeria cannot grow digitally with expensive data – Muhammad
Dr. Suleiman Isiyaku Muhammad, from the Department of Criminology and Security Studies at the Federal University, Dutse, said in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST that the 200% rise in mobile data prices is unjustified and could harm the Nigerian economy.
“Nigeria cannot grow digitally with expensive data. The price hike affects not only e-commerce but also education, health services, and even security, all of which rely heavily on affordable data access.”
The Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) has already announced plans to protest the increase. From February 13, Nigerians are urged to boycott the four major telecom operators, MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with a full-scale strike expected to begin on March 1.
According to him, although the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a 50 percent increase based on challenges presented by telecom companies, consumers are experiencing a rise of up to 200 percent in data costs.
“The telecom companies argued that they have not increased tariffs since 2013 and that rising operational costs forced them to seek approval for an increase,” he said.
Dr. Muhammad explained that the companies blamed the hike on several challenges, including rising fuel costs, maintenance expenses, technology costs and taxation.
He noted that the removal of fuel subsidy by the current administration has affected every sector of the economy, not just telecoms.
“Fuel subsidy removal led to inflation and increased operational costs across Nigeria. Telecom companies are not exempted. Without fuel, they cannot power their base stations and maintain services,” he said.
However, he stressed that fuel subsidy removal affects all Nigerians, not only telecom operators.
On taxation, Dr. Muhammad said Nigeria’s tax system is overburdening businesses.
“Nigeria’s tax system is almost over-taxing. It taxes everybody and everything. Random changes in tax policies have affected telecom companies’ revenue,” he explained.
He added that high taxes on imported technology have made telecom infrastructure more expensive.
“When you increase import taxes on technology, the cost is transferred to the companies, and eventually to the subscribers. The common man ends up paying,” he said.
Muhammad also identified maintenance costs as another issue raised by the telecom firms, noting that growing subscriber numbers have increased the cost of maintaining equipment, staff and service quality.
“Maintenance covers machinery, staff welfare and network balance. Transportation costs have also increased due to fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
Despite these challenges, he argued that telecom companies still have the capacity to operate without transferring the burden to consumers.
“Nigeria has the largest mobile market in Africa with over 140 million subscribers in 2024,” he said.
He listed subscriber figures as MTN with about 78.1 million, Airtel with 52.1 million, Glo with 8.6 million, and 9mobile with 1.1 million subscribers.
“This volume of subscribers generates huge revenue and profit. They can sustain operations without hiking data prices for the common man,” he stated.
Muhammad warned that the data hike is already affecting e-commerce, which relies heavily on internet access.
“Nigeria needs to compete internationally in digital trade, but we are facing slow, poor and disrupted networks. Instead of improving services, they increased prices,” he said.
He said the impact goes beyond commerce, affecting education, health, security, digital services and technology development.
“E-education, health service delivery, security operations and digital transactions all depend on affordable data. When data becomes expensive, everything suffers,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s economic growth depends on affordable and accessible internet, warning that continuous price hikes could have long-term consequences.
He cited data from the Universal Service Provision Fund, stating that 27.91 million Nigerians are still out of network coverage.
He also referenced the National Broadband Plan, which promised wider network coverage by 2024.
“The reverse is the case. What we have now is price hike without expansion, without quality service, with slow and disrupted networks,” he said.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Dr. Muhammad said, “A 200 percent increase in data tariff is not reasonable in a democratic society.”
He called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to intervene.
“You cannot increase tariff without improving quality, speed or coverage. None of these has been done,” he said.
He warned that reduced data usage would also affect government revenue, as many economic activities now rely on digital platforms.
“Revenue generation by local governments, states and the federal government depends heavily on digital transactions,” he said.
He added that taxation systems also depend on digital tracking, which would suffer if data becomes unaffordable.
Muhammad called for collaboration among regulators and stakeholders to resolve the issue.
“The NCC, the National Broadband Plan authorities, the NLC and the four telecom giants must sit together, alongside the National Assembly, to review this data tariff hike and make data affordable for Nigerians,” he said.
Data now finishes like magic – Nigerians react
Nigerians are expressing frustration over what they describe as unusually fast data depletion.
On Sunday, journalist Oseni Rufai took to X to complain about the situation, saying the way internet data finishes these days is worrying.
“The rate at which internet data finishes lately is funny. Mobile networks, please do something. NCC should intervene,” Rufai wrote and similar responses followed.
Sharing similar experiences with DAILY POST, Mas’oud Umar Muhammad, a software engineer in Kano, revealed that despite subscribing to large data plans, his data does not last as expected.
“I use about ₦50,000 worth of data every month because of my work as a software engineer,” he said.
Masoud noted that although network speed has improved and mobile devices have changed over time, the problem of quick data exhaustion remains.
“Even with faster networks and changes in mobile devices, the data still finishes early,” he said.
Students, remote workers are also feeling the impact.
Agnes Johnson, a student of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology said she constantly notices her data finishing faster than usual.
“Data finishes on time. I always complain. Sometimes I feel like I’m not the only one using the data,” she said.
Aisha Ahmed, a remote worker, revealed that she uses N10,000 data each month for her work.
It’s yet to be seen how the Nigerian government and the NCC will resolve the current data issue.
