MTN Nigeria edges Airtel and Glo as best mobile internet provider in 2025 – report

• MTN Nigeria emerges the network with the best mobile internet performance
• Airtel comes second, achieving solid performances in average download speed (10.57 Mb/s) and strong video streaming capabilities.
• Globacom is placed third, but achieved a good rating in terms of latency (121.81 ms) and browsing (29.86%).
• MTN’s best for streaming/downloads, Glo’s decent for browsing, Airtel’s an alternative for streaming, but has higher latency.

Telecoms operator, MTN Nigeria, has been established as the network with the best mobile internet performance in 2025. This is according to an analytical report by nPerf, a France-based mobile internet speed test platform.

In the report titled Barometer of Mobile Internet Connections in Nigeria, which covers the entire months in 2025, MTN Nigeria leads the industry with 37,106 nPoints. Airtel Nigeria comes second with a distant 25,614 nPoints, while Globacom is third with 20,475 nPoints. 

The mobile network operators’ internet performance was assessed based on their subscribers’ experiences across various measures, including download and upload speeds, latency, browsing, and streaming performance. nPerf added that the data were collated using its platform’s speed test usage by Nigerians.

The analysis mainly focused on test results during busy hours (6 pm to 11 pm) and idle hours (the rest of the day). In terms of the distribution of network tests per operator, the data shows that MTN Nigeria holds the highest share with 58%, followed by Airtel Nigeria with 24% and Globacom with 18%.

MTN Nigeria leads across the board

MTN cemented the top spot, dominating across all measured indicators. 

In average download speed measurement, MTN leads with 18.65 Mb/s in 2025. Airtel Nigeria, with 10.57 Mb/s, is placed second, while Glo has an average download speed of 7.46 Mb/s. Furthermore, MTN leads in both busy and idle times (15.37 Mb/s, 19.99 Mb/s), indicating the ideal choice of network for HD streaming and fast downloads.

MTN subscribers also enjoyed the best mobile internet upload speed in 2025.

According to the report, the network operator recorded an average upload speed of 8.70 Mb/s. Airtel comes distant recording 4.74 Mb/s while Glo follows closely with 3.85 Mb/s. At busy and idle times, MTN had an average upload speed of 7.43 Mb/s and 9.12 Mb/s, respectively. 

Also, the Latency measure favoured MTN Nigeria. The measurement determines how many milliseconds (ms) it takes for data to travel. The shorter the delay, the more reactive the connection is. The telco recorded the best with an average latency of 96.46 ms in 2025.

Glo overtook Airtel to settle for second position with 121.81 ms, while Airtel saw an average latency of 141.12 ms.

In browsing and streaming performance, MTN leads with 35.78% and 67.02%. This suggests that the network is best considered for video streaming and all forms of downloads. 

For other operators, Glo recorded a browsing performance of 29.86% while Airtel followed closely with 29.45%. The reverse was the case for streaming performance, as Airtel came second with 62.50% and Glo with 52.44%. 

Also Read: Should Nigerians expect improved network and internet performance in 2026?

Nigerian subscribers’ choice 

For Nigerian subscribers, nPerf report presented an overview of internet performance and choice while browsing, steaming or downloading.

MTN Nigeria provides users with the highest experience in terms of HD streaming, downloads, and video calls. Alternatively, Glo comes close in terms of browsing experience across social media platforms, but falls behind in screaming.  

In exchange for MTN’s streaming performance, Airtel comes as an alternative but has a higher browsing response time (Latency), compared to other network operators. 

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