Broadband penetration in Nigeria fell to 48.01% in July 2025, marking the second consecutive monthly decline, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The number of Nigerians with access to high-speed internet dropped from 105.7 million in June to 104 million in July, raising concerns that the country may miss its 70% broadband penetration target set in the National Broadband Policy (NBP 2020-2025).
The decline follows a history of missed milestones under the National Broadband Plan. The 2023 target of 50% broadband penetration was not achieved, with the year ending at 43.71%, rising marginally to 44.43% by the end of 2024. Additionally, the plan aimed for 70% of telecom subscriptions to be on 4G networks by 2023, but as of July 2025, only 50.85% of Nigeria’s 169.3 million active subscriptions were 4G-enabled.
Experts point to high smartphone costs and lack of local manufacturing as significant barriers to broadband adoption. The plan recommended establishing at least one smartphone assembly plant by 2023 to lower prices to around N18,000 per device. Instead, with no local assembly, the cheapest smartphones now sell for over N100,000, exacerbated by Naira devaluation, restricting access for millions of Nigerians.
Infrastructure deployment challenges are another major bottleneck, particularly high Right of Way (RoW) charges imposed by most states. NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, highlighted that state regulations are slowing broadband rollout, stressing the need for policy reforms to enable wider digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. Only seven states have waived these fees, limiting the nationwide expansion of broadband infrastructure.
Despite the slow progress in penetration, Nigeria’s data consumption continues to grow. In July 2025, total data usage reached an all-time high of 1.1 million terabytes, reflecting rising demand for internet services even as broadband adoption lags. Experts warn that without accelerated infrastructure deployment and regulatory reforms, Nigeria risks falling short of the NBP’s goal of ubiquitous broadband access by year-end.
Source: Nairametrics