MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Africa are increasing capital expenditure to tackle rising data demands, following a 93.35% surge in Nigeria’s data usage to over 1 million terabytes in January 2025. Digital services and streaming have become key drivers, with MTN and Airtel recording significant data usage hikes per customer.
Despite a past slowdown due to foreign debt repayments, MTN and Airtel are reinvesting heavily in their infrastructure. While MTN plans enhanced capex for 2025, Airtel aims to spend $750 million by March. This follows Nigeria’s first data tariff increase since 2013 to boost further investments, as per the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Key Takeaways:
- MTN’s and Airtel’s increased capex aims to meet growing data traffic demands.
- Nigeria’s data usage hit a record high, spurred by digital and streaming adoption.
- Recent tariff hikes are expected to facilitate network improvements and investment.
Read more about these developments in the BusinessDay article. How will Nigeria’s communications landscape look in the next five years with these investments? Share your thoughts!
