The report highlights MTN’s dominance in download speeds, where it achieved an average of 18.65 Mbps, nearly double Glo’s 7.46 Mbps and significantly above Airtel’s 10.57 Mbps.

Upload performance followed a similar trend, with MTN delivering 8.70 Mbps, reinforcing its suitability for video conferencing, content creation, and other data-intensive applications increasingly common among Nigerian consumers and businesses.

Glo, however, stood out in this category, with the lowest latency at 121.81 ms, making it a relatively stable option for delay-sensitive use cases.

In terms of user experience, MTN led in both web browsing performance (35.78%) and YouTube streaming performance (67.02%), indicating smoother page loading and more reliable video playback for subscribers.

nPerf noted that these metrics are increasingly important as Nigerians spend more time streaming content, working remotely, and accessing digital services on mobile networks.

“The Nigerian mobile Internet sector demonstrates strong competition with three operators delivering differentiated service profiles,” nPerf stated, adding that users are benefiting from “increasingly capable networks, particularly for streaming and data-intensive applications.”

MTN’s leadership extended to 4G performance, where it again ranked first across all measured indicators, including download speed, upload speed, browsing, streaming, and latency.

MTN Nigeria leads mobile internet performance rankings in 2025, outperforming Airtel and Glo in speed, latency, and streaming quality, according to nPerf data. [Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images]

The study also underlined the reliability of its findings, noting a statistical precision of 1.5% for absolute values and 1 percentage point for percentage-based results, based on a large volume of quality-controlled tests. MTN accounted for 58% of all tests analysed, followed by Airtel at 24% and Glo at 18%.

As Nigeria continues to position itself as one of Africa’s largest digital economies, the report underscores the growing importance of mobile network quality in supporting fintech, media, e-commerce, and remote work.

While competition among operators remains intense, nPerf’s 2025 data suggests that MTN has consolidated a clear lead in delivering the most reliable and high-performing mobile internet experience in the country.