Impact of COVID-19 on Internet Traffic in Nigeria

Abstract

In the course of the outbreak of COVID-19, the Nigerian society adopted digital life as an alternative to physical interaction so as to keep afloat in the period of the lockdown. This option brought about a lot of changes especially in the usage of communication facilities. Many Nigerians that are not willing to have Internet connectivity had no option than to accept the reality on ground. This work examines the related literatures within and outside Nigeria. Thereafter, it examined the usage level and satisfaction of the users through questionnaires administering to the subscribers of different cellular networks available. The questionnaires were administered in Akure to the cellular subscribers of MTN, GLO, Airtel and 9mobile randomly. Afterwards, the data were analyzed and discussion of the results of each component of the questionnaires was done. The study revealed that MTN subscribers are more and most respondents are just using 4G services within 1 - 6 months durations. Also, the studies established that those respondents always on 4G Services are more than any other class in a day. Thus, this work established that COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to the daily activities, thus, a shift to digital life among the subscribers.