Broadband Penetration Hits 45.61% as Telecoms Contribution to GDP Decline to 13.94%

Emma Okonji

Broadband penetration in Nigeria has maintained a steady increase in the last one year, to reach 45.61 per cent with a total subscription of 98.8 million as at January 2025, according to the latest statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

This was as the telecoms contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dropped from 16.36 per cent in Q2 2024 to 13.94 per cent in Q3 2024, according to the same NCC’s statistics.

The statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NCC, showed that as at January 2024, broadband penetration was 42.53 per cent with a total subscription of 92.1 million, but broadband penetration increased to 43.08 per cent, while broadband subscriptions also increased to 93.3 million in February 2024. In March 2024, there was a slight increase in broadband penetration at 43.53 per cent and also in broadband subscriptions at 94.3 million. In April 2024, Nigeria witnessed another increase in broadband penetration at 43.83 per cent, with increased broadband subscriptions at 95 million.

Broadband penetration however dropped slightly in May 2024 to 43.80 per cent, with 94.9 million broadband subscriptions. But in June 2024, broadband penetration increased to 43.92 per cent, with a total broadband subscription of 95.2 million. The increase was maintained in July 2024, with a broadband penetration of 44.04 per cent and broadband subscriptions of 95.4 million.

In August 2024, there was another slight drop in broadband penetration to 43.16 per cent, with broadband subscriptions at 93.5 million. In September 2024, broadband penetration dropped again to 41.56 per cent with a total broadband subscription of 90.1 million.

Broadband penetration however increased in October 2024 to reach 42.24 per cent, with a total broadband subscription of 91.5 million. In November 2024, broadband penetration also increased to reach 43.16 per cent, with a total broadband subscription figure of 93.5 million. In December 2024, broadband penetration also increased to reach 44.43 per cent, with a total broadband subscription of 96.3 million, before reaching 45.61 per cent broadband penetration and 98.8 million broadband subscriptions in January 2025.

Broadband penetration is the proportion of people with access to high speed internet broadband within a particular location, measured in percentage, while broadband subscription is the number of people that subscribes to high speed internet broadband service in a particular location or region.

According to the NCC numbers, as at Q1 2023, telecoms contribution to GDP was 14.13 per cent, but the figure increased to 16.06 per cent in Q2 2023, and dropped to 13.50 per cent in Q3 2023, before it increased to 14 per cent in Q4 2023.

As at Q1 2024, telecoms contribution to GDP increased again to 14.58 per cent, with another increase to 16.36 per cent in Q2 2024, before it dropped to 13.94 per cent in Q3 2024, which is the latest from NCC.

Telecoms analysts attributed the drop to the high cost of delivering telecoms services across networks, which they said, necessitated the demand for increase in telecoms tariff by 50 per cent, which was approved recently by the federal government.