Nigeria has reached a historic digital milestone, recording a peak Internet traffic of 1 terabit per second (1Tbps) for the first time, a landmark achievement signalling the country’s accelerating digital transformation.
Nigeria’s journey to 1Tbps has been gradual but steady. From a meager 5 to 10 megabits per second in 2008, traffic jumped to 126 gigabits by 2019, then 250Gbps in 2020, and 900Gbps by late 2024. The 1Tbps threshold was finally surpassed in March 2025. This growth stemmed from the proliferation of local data centers, increasing interconnectivity, and the presence of major global content providers, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, and TikTok, all now connected to the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN).
CEO of IXPN, Muhammed Rudman, who disclosed this during a media chat in Lagos on Tuesday, said the milestone signified a major leap forward in developing Nigeria’s internet infrastructure and underscored the critical role of local internet infrastructure in driving economic growth, innovation, and connectivity for millions of Nigerians.
“This milestone is more than just a number. It is a symbol of Nigeria’s digital maturity and our united strides towards becoming a tech-driven nation. By keeping local internet traffic within Nigeria, we reduce costs, improve speeds, and ensure our digital economy thrives with homegrown infrastructure. Achieving 1 Tbps is a significant victory for Nigeria’s ICT ecosystem, a breakthrough for domestic internet traffic. It serves as a catalyst, enabling millions of Nigerians to enjoy faster, more affordable, and resilient internet connectivity.
“To put it in perspective, a speed of 1 Tbps can support over 1 million concurrent Zoom calls, allowing students, entrepreneurs, and professionals to connect and drive Nigeria’s digital revolution. With 1 Tbps, more than 200,000 people can stream HD Nollywood films or movies on Netflix simultaneously without any buffering or interruptions. This speed enables the transfer of the entire contents of 50,000 smartphones—including photos, apps, and videos—in just one second. For Nigeria, hitting this milestone means reducing reliance on international bandwidth, decreasing latency for local services, and strengthening its position as Africa’s digital heartbeat. This 1Tbps achievement reflects years of collaboration across Nigeria’s ICT landscape,” he further explained.
The significance of this development extends beyond speed, even as the Internet Society (ISOC) revealed that Nigeria is now saving at least $40 million annually through domestication of Internet traffic, a cost avoided by routing data locally rather than relying on expensive international bandwidth.
Despite the milestone, Rudman highlighted Nigeria’s underdeveloped Internet infrastructure, adding that, “With a population comparable to Brazil, Nigeria has only 257 autonomous system numbers (ASNs), far fewer than Brazil’s 10,000 and South Africa’s 770. This is a major indicator of how few networks we have offering services.”
He noted that 99 per cent of Internet access in Nigeria is mobile-based, with many areas still stuck on 2G or 3G networks. “Some states with populations in the millions lack a single network with an ASN. That is a crisis. Even institutions with technical capacity remain unconnected. Out of 22 financial institutions, only the Central Bank of Nigeria is connected to IXPN,” he said, also criticizing the lack of interconnectivity in Nigeria’s universities.
Rudman envisioned regional hubs like Kano hosting Hausa content and attracting neighboring countries to interconnect through Nigeria, similar to South Africa’s role in Southern Africa. To achieve this, he called for investment in community networks, regulatory incentives, and support for local ISPs. “The number of ISPs in Nigeria is shrinking. That’s a red flag. We need to reverse that trend to truly become a digital leader,” he advised.
Rudman affirmed that reaching 1Tbps is just the beginning, adding that as demand grows for data-intensive technologies like AI, IoT, 5G, and immersive media, IXPN is preparing to scale its infrastructure, strengthen its network resilience, expand its reach to rural areas, and reinforce Africa’s digital sovereignty by partnering with regional IXPs to ensure more African data remains on the continent.
IXPN CEO extended gratitude to its stakeholders, including its members and partners, whose trust and participation have made IXPN a hub of innovation and growth. The exchange boss also acknowledged the support of government agencies, particularly the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for its consistent backing and vision of a digitally inclusive Nigeria. Rudman credited the contributions of engineers, network administrators, and IXPN staff who have worked tirelessly to push boundaries, and expressed appreciation to global partners for their advocacy in supporting local peering initiatives across Africa.
He, therefore, urged more collaboration among regulators, stakeholders, and the media to identify and fix gaps in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. “We are all Nigerians. We want Nigeria to be a better place. Let’s work together to solve this,” he appealed.
Surveys conducted among IXPN members over the years have shown a growing percentage of local internet traffic in Nigeria. A recent report indicates that some connected members can localize or domesticate up to 70 percent of their internet traffic through IXPN. “As more content providers, ISPs, banks, and public institutions localize their traffic through the IXP, end users benefit directly. We’re not just routing data. We are building the foundation for Nigeria’s digital economy,” added the marketing manager, Raphael Iloka.
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