Nigeria’s telecommunications and information services sector grew by 10.38% year-on-year in real terms in the second quarter of 2026, helping to lift its contribution to the country’s economy as demand for mobile data and digital services continued to rise.
The sector contributed N5.20 trillion to real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the quarter, according to the latest GDP report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Its contribution to real GDP increased to 9.72% from 9.20% in the same quarter of 2025, making telecommunications and information services the fourth-largest individual contributor to Nigeria’s real economic output.
The sector’s growth also outpaced the wider economy, which expanded by 4.43% year-on-year in real terms in Q2 2026, compared with 4.23% in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
At the broader sector level, Information and Communication, which includes telecommunications and information services, broadcasting, motion pictures, sound recording and music production, and publishing, grew by 9.62% year-on-year in real terms.
The sector accounted for 11.74% of Nigeria’s real GDP in the quarter, up from 11.18% a year earlier and 11.31% in the first quarter of 2026.
In nominal terms, Information and Communication generated N14.64 trillion, representing 12.27% of aggregate nominal GDP. This compares with N10.07 trillion, or 10% of nominal GDP, in Q2 2025. Nominal growth accelerated to 45.32% during the quarter.
The expansion in telecommunications coincided with stronger financial and operating performance from Nigeria’s leading mobile network operators, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria.
MTN Nigeria reported a record N1.09 trillion profit before tax in the first half of 2026, representing a 75.4% increase from the same period a year earlier.
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The company said the improvement was driven by strong demand for data, improved operating efficiency and lower borrowing costs.
Data consumption on MTN’s network also increased during the period. Average monthly data usage per subscriber rose 15.2% year-on-year to 14.8GB, while the number of active data users increased by 9.3% to 55.7 million.
Airtel Nigeria also recorded higher revenue during the period, with total revenue rising 50.4% year-on-year in reported currency to $501 million. On a constant-currency basis, revenue increased by 29.8%.
Data remained the company’s biggest growth driver, with revenue from the service increasing 59.9% to $263 million in reported currency. Voice revenue rose 42.6% to $191 million.
Airtel Nigeria’s EBITDA increased by 58.4% to $293 million, while its EBITDA margin improved to 58.6%. The operator’s customer base grew by 12% to 60.1 million, with data customers rising 11% to 32.5 million.
The growth in telecoms activity comes as data consumption continues to increase across Nigeria. The Nigerian Communications Commission said in May 2026 that Nigerians were consuming about 45,800 terabytes of data daily, reflecting the expanding use of internet services and digital platforms.
The latest GDP figures indicate that telecommunications remains one of the faster-growing parts of Nigeria’s economy, with rising data consumption and expanding digital services supporting growth across the sector.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
