Nigeria’s fibre broadband market is growing fast. New industry figures show the country added about 78,000 fibre-to-the-X (FTTX) subscribers between the first and second quarters of 2026. As a result, the total subscriber base now stands at 319,735.
The Nigerian Communications Commission released the figures this week. According to the regulator, FTTX connections grew by 29 percent quarter-on-quarter. The number rose from 241,750 subscribers in Q1 2026 to 319,735 by the end of Q2. Notably, this is the first time the NCC has published a standalone breakdown for FTTX subscriptions. As a result, the country now has a clearer picture of how providers are extending fibre to homes, offices, and commercial buildings.
The surge comes as data consumption keeps climbing. By June 2026, Nigerian internet users had consumed 1.53 terabytes of data. That is the highest monthly figure on record. Much of this demand is straining mobile networks, which still carry most of Nigeria’s internet traffic.
Fibre connections help ease that pressure. They shift heavy activities like video streaming, large file transfers, and cloud computing onto dedicated fixed-line networks. This frees up spectrum on the mobile side.
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MTN FiberX has driven much of this growth. The operator now counts 176,468 active fibre subscribers. It also continues to expand into more Nigerian cities. This expansion lines up with a wider government push called Project Bridge. The initiative aims to move heavy data users off mobile networks and onto fixed fibre lines. In addition, the federal government has confirmed that a planned 90,000-kilometre fibre rollout will begin in October.
Still, fibre remains a small slice of Nigeria’s overall internet market. The country has roughly 156 million active internet subscriptions. So FTTX connections make up only a tiny fraction of total users. Most Nigerians still rely on mobile data because fibre stays costly and mostly limited to cities. This gap shows a divide between everyday mobile users and businesses that depend on fixed fibre daily.
However, within the ISP market specifically, fibre tells a different story. NCC data released Tuesday put Nigeria’s total active ISP subscriber base at 420,989 as of June 2026. Spectranet led the sector with 111,384 subscribers. Starlink followed with 98,642, while FiberOne recorded 56,486. Against that total, FTTX subscribers make up a dominant 76 percent share of the ISP market. The rest get their internet through satellite services like Starlink or through fixed wireless connections instead of a direct fibre line.
Overall, these numbers suggest fibre is becoming the backbone of Nigeria’s broadband strategy. If Project Bridge stays on schedule, fibre adoption could accelerate further in coming quarters. For now, Nigeria’s broadband penetration stands at 56.79 percent as of Q2 2026, according to the commission’s latest data.
