By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria has reached a historic peak in internet traffic, recording one terabit per second (Tbps) for the first time ever due to the rise in streaming interest.

According to Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), the 1 Tbps threshold was finally crossed in March 2025, adding that this significant milestone not only highlighted the nation’s accelerating digital transformation but also brings substantial economic benefits through the efficient exchange of local data.

The journey to this 1 Tbps milestone has been a progressive one for Nigeria. Starting from a modest 5 to 10 megabits per second in 2008, internet traffic saw substantial increases, reaching 126 gigabits by 2019, then 250 Gbps in 2020, and climbing to 900 Gbps by late 2024.

This expansion is attributed to the increasing number of local data centers, enhanced interconnection, and the presence of major international content providers such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, and TikTok, all now connected to the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN).

According to Mr Muhammed Rudman, CEO of IXPN, this milestone represents a significant advancement in Nigeria’s internet infrastructure development and highlights the crucial role of local internet infrastructure in fostering economic growth, innovation, and connectivity for millions of Nigerians.

According to Rudman, “This milestone is more than just a number. It is a symbol of Nigeria’s digital maturity and our united strides towards becoming a tech-driven nation. By keeping local internet traffic within Nigeria, we reduce costs, improve speeds, and ensure our digital economy thrives with homegrown infrastructure.

Achieving 1 Tbps is a significant victory for Nigeria’s ICT ecosystem, a breakthrough for domestic internet traffic. It serves as a catalyst, enabling millions of Nigerians to enjoy faster, more affordable, and resilient internet connectivity.”

The 1 Terabit per second capacity signifies a transformative leap for Africa’s most populous nation. To illustrate its impact, a speed of 1 Tbps can concurrently support over 1 million Zoom meetings, empowering students, entrepreneurs, and professionals to connect and drive Nigeria’s digital revolution.

Furthermore, this speed allows over 200,000 individuals to simultaneously stream high-definition Nollywood or Netflix movies without any buffering or interruptions. It also enables the transfer of the entire contents of 50,000 smartphones—including photos, applications, and videos—in a mere second.

“For Nigeria, hitting this milestone means reducing reliance on international bandwidth, decreasing latency for local services, and strengthening its position as Africa’s digital heartbeat. This milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of a faster, more connected Nigeria. This accomplishment goes beyond technical advancements; it has significant economic implications,” Mr Rudman explained.

“By encouraging local traffic exchange, IXPN reduces dependency on international bandwidth, leading to significant cost savings. By utilizing local data exchange, Nigerian businesses can save millions of dollars annually on international bandwidth fees.”

“It also helps to enhanced speed and connectivity, in that with reduced latency, users experience smoother streaming, gaming, and real-time services, enhancing their overall online experience. It strengthens Nigeria’s internet infrastructure protects against global disruptions, ensuring consistent access to vital services such as healthcare and education and optimizes digital services like fintech, edtech, e-commerce, and e-health, propelling innovation and growth in these sectors.”

The importance of this progress extends beyond mere speed. The Internet Society (ISOC) has revealed that Nigeria is now saving at least $40 million annually by keeping internet traffic within its borders, a cost avoidance achieved by routing data locally instead of relying on expensive international bandwidth.

Despite this achievement, Rudman also drew attention to Nigeria’s underdeveloped internet infrastructure, noting, “With a population comparable to Brazil, Nigeria has only 257 autonomous system numbers (ASNs), far fewer than Brazil’s 10,000 and South Africa’s 770. This is a major indicator of how few networks we have offering services.”

He highlighted the dominance of mobile internet access, stating that 99 percent of internet access in Nigeria is mobile-based, with many regions still limited to 2G or 3G networks.

“Some states with populations in the millions lack a single network with an ASN. That is a crisis. Even institutions with technical capacity remain unconnected. Out of 22 financial institutions, only the Central Bank of Nigeria is connected to IXPN,” he stated, also criticizing the insufficient interconnectivity among Nigerian universities.

Mr Rudman proposed the development of regional hubs, suggesting that a city like Kano could host Hausa language content and attract neighboring countries to connect through Nigeria, similar to South Africa’s role in Southern Africa.

To realize this vision, he advocated for investments in community networks, regulatory incentives, and support for local Internet Service Providers (ISPs). “The number of ISPs in Nigeria is shrinking. That’s a red flag. We need to reverse that trend to truly become a digital leader,” he advised.

He called for greater collaboration among regulators, stakeholders, and the media to identify and address the gaps within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

“We are all Nigerians. We want Nigeria to be a better place. Let’s work together to solve this,” he urged.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Over 39 million advertiser accounts were suspended in 2024 by Google in a bid to make surfing the internet safer for users.

In its 2024 Ads Safety Report, the tech giant said this action was made possible through the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Google’s 2024 Ads Safety Report offers a glimpse into the systems that help keep billions of people safe online—many without ever realizing it. But for those who run small businesses, browse the web, or build tools and content that power Africa’s digital economy, safety is not just technical—it’s foundational.

In the report, Google said about 5.1 billion ads were blocked or removed in the period under review, while over 9.1 billion malicious ads were restricted.

It stated that AI has been helping to transform the fight against bad ads, scams, and misinformation online, particularly as they grow more sophisticated, often impersonating public figures or deploying AI-generated content.

While challenges persist, the report emphasizes that AI is improving both the speed and scale of enforcement—and freeing up human reviewers to focus on the most complex, high-impact investigations.

Google also continues to work closely with regulators, consumer protection agencies, and industry peers, including through the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, to stay ahead of evolving threats.

“We launched over 50 enhancements to our AI models in 2024,” said Alex Rodriguez, General Manager for Ads Safety at Google. “These improvements helped us move faster, identify threats earlier, and take action before bad actors could reach users. That’s the real power of AI—making the internet safer not just reactively, but proactively.”

Last year, because of a rising threat in public figure impersonation scams and misleading election ads, especially in Nigeria, Google updated its Misrepresentation policy, assembled a global team of over 100 experts, and took down over 700,000 scam-related advertiser accounts—contributing to a 90 per cent drop in reported impersonation scams.

With nearly half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, Google also expanded election ad transparency, requiring all political advertisers to verify their identities and clearly disclose who’s paying for the message. More than 10 million election-related ads were removed globally for failing to meet these standards.

While these are global figures, their local impact is deeply personal. From the business owner trying to reach new customers online to the everyday user trying to avoid a phishing scam, online safety remains essential for an open, trustworthy web.

In Nigeria and across the continent, safe advertising also helps protect livelihoods—ensuring that small businesses, creators, and publishers can continue to benefit from a free and accessible internet.

By Dipo Olowookere

The fibre broadband service of MTN Nigeria, MTN Fibre Broadband, has been rebranded to MTN FibreX as part of the company’s commitment to providing ultra-fast, reliable, and accessible internet services to its customers.

The leading technology firm said the transformation marks a significant stride in delivering next-generation internet solutions across the nation in line with the country’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020–2025, which aims to achieve 70 per cent broadband penetration by 2025, ensuring minimum speeds of 25 Mbps in urban areas and 10 Mbps in rural regions.

MTN Nigeria explained that the new name was adopted to create a more customer-friendly brand. The new name embodies a more modern, relatable, and emotionally resonant brand that is positioned to lead the conversation around what premium internet should feel like.

The goal is to educate and excite consumers within home-passed locations (the potential number of premises within a service area that can be connected to an fibre to the home [FTTH] network) about the benefits of the product.

The company said FibreX would play a pivotal role in the federal government’s initiative to expand the nation’s fibre-optic network by an additional 90,000 kilometres, aiming to increase fibre capacity from 35,000 km to 125,000 km.

FibreX promises ultra-fast and reliable internet connectivity, aiming to meet the diverse needs of Nigerians, from bustling urban centres to remote rural areas, it assured.

“The launch of FibreX reiterates our dedication to supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.

“By enhancing our infrastructure and services, we aim to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive growth,” the Chief Broadband Officer of MTN Nigeria, Egerton Idehen, stated.