MTN and Airtel Report Impressive Q3 2023 Data Service Revenue of N403.2 Billion

Two of Nigeria’s major mobile network operators, MTN and Airtel, have reported substantial earnings from data services in the third quarter of 2023, demonstrating the surging demand for data consumption in the country. During this period, MTN, the largest telecom operator in Nigeria in terms of subscriber numbers, raked in an impressive N279.5 billion in data revenue, marking a significant 38.9% increase compared to the N201.1 billion it recorded in the same period the previous year.

Similarly, Airtel Nigeria, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, reported data subscription earnings of N123.7 billion (equivalent to $157 million) in the same quarter, reflecting a robust 29.3% growth in data revenue for the company. This data revenue surge can be attributed to the substantial increase in data consumption among their customer base.

MTN’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, attributed the uptick in data usage to several factors, including the revamp of MTN data bundle offerings, an expanding smartphone user base, and investments in network infrastructure to enhance coverage and capacity, thus improving the overall customer experience. In addition, he mentioned that MTN’s 4G network now covers 80.5% of the population, marking a notable increase from the 79.1% coverage recorded in December 2022.

Data usage per user also saw a significant increase of 29.1% to 8.6GB, and the number of smartphones connected to their network rose by 7.6%, pushing smartphone penetration to 53.4%. Consequently, they recorded a substantial 46.3% growth in data traffic, with the 4G network accounting for 83.7% of the total data traffic.

Segun Ogunsanya, the CEO of Airtel Africa, echoed similar sentiments about the increase in data consumption for Airtel Nigeria. He noted that data revenue grew by 29.3% in constant currency, driven by a 17.4% growth in their data customer base and a 12.3% growth in data Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). Moreover, data usage per customer increased by 23.8% to 5.9GB per month, a substantial improvement from the 4.8GB recorded in the previous period. Ogunsanya also highlighted the successful rollout of Airtel’s 4G network, with nearly 100% of their sites now delivering 4G services. Furthermore, they have 233 operational 5G sites, with 4G customers accounting for 51.1% of their total data customer