Latest industry data shows that fibre to the X (FTTX) saw a sharp quarter-on-quarter acceleration in Nigeria’s fixed-line broadband adoption during the first half of 2026. Figures show that t
Latest industry data shows that fibre to the X (FTTX) saw a sharp quarter-on-quarter acceleration in Nigeria’s fixed-line broadband adoption during the first half of 2026. Figures show that the subscriber base for Q2 stood at 319,735, a 29% growth on the 241,750 in Q1 2026.
This is the first time the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will spotlight specific data for FTTX, a reflection of how internet service operators (ISPs) and fixed operators are successfully expanding last-mile fibre infrastructure to homes, offices, and commercial hubs.
IM: NCC The data comes amid an increase in data consumption by Nigerians, with reliance on mobile networks (4G/5G) creating capacity bottlenecks. As of June 2026, Nigerian internet users used 1.53 terabytes of data, the highest yet in the country’s history.
By expanding the FTTX footprint, it offloads high-bandwidth residential demand and traffic, such as streaming, large file downloads and uploads, 4K videos, cloud computing, and heavy remote work, to dedicated fixed fibre networks, freeing up spectrum on mobile networks.
MTN FiberX has been a significant push for the FTTX trend in the past year. Latest data shows it now has 176,468 and continues to expand across Nigeria’s top cities.
The fibre network footprints also align with industry pushes such as Project BRIDGE, aimed at shifting heavy users off congested mobile networks onto fixed fibre lines. Recall that the Federal Government has noted that the 90,000km fibre deployment is set to commence implementation by October.
Also Read: Project Bridge: FG to commence 90,000km fibre rollout in October.
Fibre is still a small fraction of Nigeria’s internet usersDespite crossing 319,000 subscribers, FTTX remains a small fraction of Nigeria’s 156 million total internet subscriptions. This vast gap demonstrates that while fibre adoption is accelerating rapidly, the market remains largely unpenetrated and economically divided.
Several Nigerians still depend on mobile networks for their daily internet usage owing to the affordability of fibre networks and internet demands. This contrasts with businesses, high-data users and enterprises that depend heavily on the internet for their daily operations.
While fibre to the X remains a small fraction of Nigeria’s internet users, it is a big fraction of the country’s ISP subscribers. FTTX refers to fixed fibre connections delivered to locations such as homes, offices and buildings, while the ISP subscriber figures cover customers of licensed internet service providers across different technologies, including satellite and fixed wireless services.
Industry data released by the NCC on Tuesday shows that Nigeria’s active ISP subscriber base stood at 420,989 as of June 2026. Spectranet remained the country’s top ISP with 111,384 active subscribers, ahead of Starlink’s 98,642 and FiberOne’s 56,486.
With 319,735 subscribers, FTTX makes up the vast majority of Nigeria’s ISP customer base at a 76% share. The approximately 100,000-subscriber gap accounts for customers getting non-mobile broadband through satellite, such as Starlink, or fixed wireless systems rather than a direct fibre cable run to their premises.
It shows how fibre continues to be a backbone for Nigeria’s broadband expansion plan and why Project Bridge could significantly accelerate this expansion if implemented as planned. Broadband penetration stood at 56.79% as of Q2 2026.
