MTN, Airtel Nigeria Rake in N2.53 Trillion From Voice, Data in Six Months as Demand Surges
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the telecommunications giants MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria have collectively generated a staggering N2.53 trillion in revenue from voice and data services in the first half of 2025, marking a 50.9% increase compared to N1.68 trillion recorded in the same period of 2024.
OTN News further reports that leading the surge, MTN Nigeria accounted for N2.12 trillion, representing a 55.7% jump from N1.36 trillion in H1 2024.
The telco’s robust performance was driven by explosive growth in its data business, which rose by 69.2% to N1.23 trillion, while voice revenue climbed 40.3% to N887.13 billion.
The company also reported growth in user metrics: Active data subscribers rose 11.8% to 51 million; Total mobile subscribers increased 6.7% to 84.7 million; Monthly average data usage per user reached 13.2GB, fuelled by 62.6% smartphone penetration and a 41.2% rise in data traffic.
These gains helped MTN swing from a N519.1 billion loss in the first half of 2024 to a N414.9 billion profit in H1 2025. The telco’s EBITDA more than doubled to N1.2 trillion, delivering a strong 50.6% EBITDA margin.
In a strategic expansion move, MTN launched the first phase of its US$240 million Dabengwa Tier III Data Centre in July—touted as the largest in West Africa—aimed at strengthening its digital infrastructure and cloud services.
Similarly, Airtel Nigeria also posted impressive numbers, earning $298 million (approximately N412.43 billion) in H1 2025 from voice and data services—a 30.1% increase from N316.94 billion in the same period last year.
Airtel’s revenue breakdown includes: Data revenue rising 40.2% to $164 million (N226.98 billion); Voice revenue growing 19.1% to $134 million (N185.46 billion).
The telco now boasts 53.6 million total customers, with 29.3 million active data users, representing an 11.3% increase. Monthly data usage per customer jumped from 7.3GB to 9.3GB, while smartphone penetration hit 51.4%. Airtel’s EBITDA rose 49.9% to $185 million, with a margin of 55.7%.
Airtel Africa’s operations also gained a major boost through its partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink, aimed at delivering satellite broadband to underserved regions across Nigeria and eight other African countries. The collaboration targets improved connectivity in rural schools, health centres, and remote communities. Starlink already holds operating licenses in nine of the 14 countries targeted, with applications underway in others.
Both telecom providers credit their stellar performance to stabilizing macroeconomic conditions, including: A decline in inflation to 22.2% by June 2025; Relative exchange rate stability with the naira holding around N1,530$
MTN Nigeria CEO, Karl Toriola, attributed the company’s turnaround to “disciplined execution, targeted customer engagement, and network investments,” noting that 3.3 million new data users were added in H1 alone, fueling a sharp increase in usage.
With a strategic focus on digital innovation, infrastructure investment, and rural connectivity, both MTN and Airtel appear set to maintain growth momentum in the second half of the year.
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