Nigerians Spend ₦1.7trn On MTN Data In 6 Months

Nigerians spent approximately ₦1.7 trillion on data services provided by MTN Nigeria in the first half of 2026, highlighting sustained demand for internet connectivity despite prevailing economic challenges.

The telecom operator disclosed this in its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited.

According to the results, MTN’s data revenue climbed to ₦1.699 trillion during the review period, compared with ₦1.229 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, representing a 38.3 per cent year-on-year increase.

Data services remained the company’s largest revenue driver, ahead of voice services, which generated ₦897.14 billion, while SMS services contributed ₦112.68 billion.

Overall, MTN Nigeria recorded ₦2.99 trillion in revenue for the first half of 2026, up from ₦2.38 trillion posted in the same period last year.

The company explained that its data revenue comprises earnings from mobile data, fixed broadband and data bundles, excluding roaming data, which is reported under interconnect and roaming revenue.

Beyond its core services, MTN earned ₦58.66 billion from digital services, ₦77.06 billion from value-added services, ₦11.03 billion from handset and accessories sales, ₦112.20 billion from interconnect and roaming services, and ₦23.90 billion from other revenue streams.

The operator also expanded its subscriber base during the six-month period, adding 4.9 million new customers to bring its total subscribers to 92.2 million. Its active data subscriber base grew by 2.5 million to 55.7 million.

Commenting on the performance, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, said the company maintained strong growth despite a challenging business environment.

“We delivered a strong first-half performance, with sustained commercial momentum, improved profitability and robust cash generation,” Toriola said, noting that demand for the company’s services remained resilient despite macroeconomic headwinds.

The strong growth in data usage also boosted MTN’s profitability, with operating profit rising 50.71 per cent year-on-year to ₦1.26 trillion.

Profit after tax increased to ₦694.54 billion, compared with ₦351.66 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, while shareholders’ funds grew to ₦957.57 billion from ₦588.44 billion as of December 2025.

The company further reported generating ₦1.55 trillion in operating cash flows during the period and expressed confidence that it has sufficient financial resources to meet its obligations over the next 12 months.