Nigeria’s average internet download speed in urban areas increased to 20.5 megabits per second in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 19Mbps recorded in the third quarter, according to the latest Industry Performance Report released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The report, however, showed a decline in internet speeds for rural users, who recorded an average download speed of 11Mbps, down from 12.7Mbps in the previous quarter, highlighting persistent disparities in broadband performance across the country.
Presenting the report during a webinar attended by media and industry stakeholders, the NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Edoyemi Ogoh, said the 20.5Mbps figure represents the median experience across all mobile network operators in urban areas. He noted that while rural performance dipped slightly in Q4 compared to Q3, there had been overall improvement when compared with earlier in the year.
“Earlier in the year, the download speed in rural areas was about 8 to 9Mbps. At the end of the year, we’re doing about 11, so there’s a slight improvement, though there was a decline when you compare Q3 strictly to Q4,” Ogoh said.
The NCC noted that the performance gap between urban and rural areas remains a major concern, with improvements occurring faster in cities than in less populated regions. Ogoh attributed this trend partly to network investments, explaining that telecom operators deployed more than 2,800 new sites over the past year, the majority of which were located in urban areas to address network congestion.
The report also revealed clear disparities in latency performance. According to Ogoh, users generally enjoy better latency and overall network experience in urban centres as operators roll out additional infrastructure. From an operator perspective, MTN, Airtel, and Glo were said to perform relatively well on latency in urban areas, with MTN leading. In rural areas, MTN and Airtel recorded better latency, while Glo and T2 showed weaker performance.
“The challenge this provides is that when you are in rural areas, you basically have less experience-wise, especially if you’re using video services or uploading large content,” Ogoh said, adding that users in rural locations may struggle with video uploads and interactive digital platforms.
Commenting on the findings, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the report underscored the Commission’s commitment to transparent, data-driven regulation and the continuous improvement of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. He noted that the NCC is engaging closely with operators to address identified gaps, particularly in mobile service coverage.
Maida disclosed that more than $1 billion in industry investment in 2025 led to the deployment of over 2,850 new sites nationwide, expanding both coverage and capacity. He said much of the progress reflected in the report was a direct result of these investments and added that operators had committed to exceeding their 2025 investment levels in 2026.
The NCC had earlier disclosed that its return to market-driven pricing attracted over $1 billion in fresh infrastructure investments in 2025, shortly after the policy took effect. The pricing framework, introduced in early 2025, allowed mobile network operators to adjust tariffs by up to 50 percent after nearly a decade of fixed pricing.
According to Maida, the policy helped reverse years of under-investment that constrained network expansion and degraded service quality, noting that while tower companies had long been able to adjust prices in line with inflation and foreign exchange movements, mobile network operators had previously been restricted by fixed tariffs.
