The internet has become a crucial part of our personal lives and businesses. This is why internet speed is one of the factors that is greatly considered when choosing an internet service provider.
Your internet speed determines how quickly you can perform tasks online and how many of those tasks you can handle at a time. For your business and online activities to run as smoothly as possible, choosing a network provider that offers a fast, reliable, and secure internet connection is paramount.
Which Network Has The Fastest Network in Nigeria?
Airtel Nigeria is the fastest network in the country in terms of Internet speed, according to a speed score analysis conducted by Ookla, a global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.
The market analysis ranking the country’s fastest mobile internet operators only considers the top mobile network operators. Smaller network providers are not tested and hence, are not included in the rankings. The leading mobile operators here in Nigeria include Airtel, MTN, Globacom, and 9Mobile.
These operators were ranked based on their Speed Scores. The speed score measures each provider’s download and upload speed. The download speed makes up 90% of the final speed, while the upload speed makes up the remaining 10%. This is because online activities mainly involve downloads.
Top Mobile Network Operators in Nigeria
1. Airtel Networks Limited
Bharti Airtel, more popularly known as Airtel, is one of Nigeria’s top networks. The leading telecom operator in Nigeria is headquartered in Lagos State. Airtel is the fastest internet provider among the broadband networks available in the country, with a speed score of 28.82.
According to Ookla’s latest report released in Q3 2021 on the state of Nigeria’s mobile and fixed networks, Airtel has a speed rate of 33.43 Mbps. They also ranked second in terms of connection consistency but last together with MTN Nigeria in latency.
Their network spectrum includes 2G, 3G and 4G. They have affordable prepaid services for the private and public sectors. You can surf the internet with an Airtel sim for as low as N100 daily. Airtel Nigeria had a customer base of over 50 million subscribers as of December 2019.
Their monthly data bundles start at N1,000 for 1.5GB, up to N4,000 for 11GB.
2. MTN Nigeria
MTN Nigeria is the Nigerian arm of the South African telecommunication giant. It is a subsidiary of the MTN Group, which is one of Africa’s top telecom companies. MTN is the oldest mobile network operator in the country.
They were the first GSM network to make a call in Nigeria at the internationally recognized Nigerian GSM auction by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) in May 2001. MTN is the second fastest mobile internet operator in Nigeria, with a speed score of 25.78.
They are ranked first in terms of connection consistency and last, with Airtel Nigeria in latency, having the most lag on its network. It, however, remains Nigeria’s most preferred network, thanks to its excellent and cost-friendly services.
Their monthly data plans start at 1.5GB for N1,000, up to large data scales of 120GB for N20,000.
3. Glo Mobile
Globacom, more commonly known as Glo, is one of the top mobile network operators in Nigeria. It is a Nigerian multinational company that offers low-cost prepaid and postpaid bundles for data and messaging.
Glo has been connecting Nigerians all over the country since it was founded in 2003. Their lowest data bundle goes for N50, and they also have plans that can be purchased for as high as N18,000.
Glo was ranked third in terms of internet speed, with a speed score of 10.35. They have also ranked second least in latency and third again in connection consistency. As of 2018, Glo was the second largest network operator in Nigeria, with close to 100 million subscribers.
They offer a wide range of products, from mobile data bundles to cloud storage solutions. Their monthly data plans, which are valid for 30 days, start at 2.9GB for N1,000, up to 138GB for N20,000.
4. 9Mobile Network
9Mobile was launched in 2017, after the exit of the infamous Etisalat, caused by their inability to pay up a loan of N1.2 billion naira that they had incurred. Being an entity of so many names and having survived through the odds, 9Mobile has emerged as one of Nigeria’s top networks.
However, they are the slowest of the top four in terms of internet speed, with a speed score of 9.49, but ranked first in having the least network latency. 9Mobile offers a wide variety of services to its over 13 million subscribers.
They have daily, weekly, monthly and weekend plans available for both personal and business use. Some of their monthly plans include 4.5GB for N20,000 and up to 75GB for N15,000.