MTN, Airtel Pull in ₦6.8tn as Data Becomes Nigeria’s Telecom Cash Engine

Story: Written by springnewsng February 27,2026
Nigeria’s telecom giants MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Nigeria recorded a combined ₦6.78 trillion in revenue in their latest reporting periods, highlighting a decisive shift from voice calls to data-led growth.
MTN Nigeria posted ₦5.2 trillion in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025—up 52.9% year on year. Data earnings surged 74.5% to ₦2.78 trillion, overtaking voice revenue, which rose 42.1% to ₦1.85 trillion. The numbers confirm broadband usage as the company’s primary growth driver.
Airtel Nigeria, reporting through Airtel Africa’s nine-month results to December 2025, generated $1.13 billion from Nigeria. Converted at an assumed rate of ₦1,400/$, this equals about ₦1.58 trillion, lifting the combined revenue of both operators to ₦6.78 trillion.
On data performance, MTN’s disclosed ₦2.78 trillion already represents over half of its service income. Airtel Nigeria reported 65.4% growth in data revenue—its fastest-expanding segment—putting combined data earnings across both firms comfortably above ₦3.5 trillion.
User behaviour continues to tilt toward heavy data consumption. MTN’s average monthly usage hit 13.1GB per subscriber, while Airtel Nigeria averaged 10.7GB. Smartphone penetration stood at 66.1% on MTN’s network and 54.1% on Airtel’s, accelerating demand for streaming, social media, and digital payments.
MTN CEO Karl Toriola said the results reflect resilient demand and improving macroeconomic conditions, adding that rising data traffic and execution discipline helped restore profitability. MTN returned to profit with ₦1.1 trillion after tax and lifted EBITDA margins to 52.7%.
At group level, Airtel Africa recorded strong profit growth, with Nigeria remaining its largest market. CEO Sunil Taldar described Nigeria as a core growth engine, citing accelerating data usage and expanding ARPU, while reaffirming continued investment in network capacity and digital services.
With more than 140 million combined subscribers, Nigeria now ranks among Africa’s largest telecom markets by value—one where gigabytes, not call minutes, increasingly define revenue and profitability