We Missed the Target: Broadband Hits 50%, But the 70% Dream is Dead
We finally did it—but it wasn't enough. After five years of chasing targets, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed this December that Nigeria has officially crossed the 50% broadband penetration threshold.
The Hard Numbers As detailed by Guardian Newspapers on Monday (Dec 29), the country hit 50.58% penetration.
- The Goal: The National Broadband Plan (2020-2025) promised us 70% penetration by the end of 2025.
- The Reality: We missed that target by nearly 20%.
Why Did We Fail? It wasn't for lack of trying. MTN and Airtel rolled out 5G aggressively. So, what happened?
- Fiber Cuts: 2025 was a record year for fiber vandalism. Every time road construction happens, cables get cut, costing telcos billions to repair instead of expand.
- Inflation: The cost of smartphones exploded. You cannot have broadband penetration if people cannot afford 4G phones. With a decent 4G Android phone now costing N150,000+, the "device gap" is widening.
The Usage Paradox Here is the strange part: Even though we missed the coverage target, usage is exploding. TheCable reported that monthly internet usage in Nigeria peaked at 1.24 million terabytes in November 2025—the highest ever recorded. This creates a "Digital Divide": The 50% of Nigerians who do have internet are using it more than ever (streaming, gaming, working). The 50% who don't are falling further behind.
What’s Next? The NCC is already drafting a new "Spectrum Roadmap 2025-2030". The focus is shifting from just "fiber" to a mix of fiber and satellite (hence the Airtel/Starlink deal). We might have missed the 2025 target, but with satellite technology entering the chat, 2030 might actually be achievable.
