One can now say more convincingly gone are the days when you had to pay through your nose for data. These days, prices have slumped significantly, to the pleasure of an average customer like me. ;D I think these have become so cheap that you may be called an ‘enemy of progress’ if you are still in the habit of scouting for tricks and loopholes in the systems of the mobile telecommunications companies (telcos). Just saying, with all the relatively cheap data plans in Nigeria these days.
Image: Google Images/WapLoadedTech
As of the last post on the best data plans in Nigeria 2016, Glo Nigeria reigned supreme. Has anything changed since then? What do these networks now have to offer us in monthly data plans? You will get answers to those questions and more in this post. The focus will be on consumer data plans and, by that, I mean those best suited to non-corporate (non-business) users. I don’t think majority of such users will need to spend more than N8,000 on data every month these days. The monthly plans of interest here will be classified into low, moderate and heavy usage categories. The arbitrary descriptions of these are:
Low usage plans – those costing less than N2,000.
Moderate usage plans – those priced between N2,000 and N4,000.
Heavy usage plans – those with prices higher than N4,000, but less than N8,000.
So without further ado or ‘over-ceremony,’ let’s have a closer look at the best data plans in Nigeria for persons looking to spend no more than N8,000 in a month.
Low Usage Plans
MTN and Airtel offer you 1.5 GB monthly for N1,000, while Etisalat gives just 1 GB. But the usual suspect, Glo, flogs all of them out of the water with an offer of 3.2 GB! Etisalat also has a N1,200 data plan which gives an allocation of 1.5GB data. However, if you are reluctant about coughing out a ‘whopping’ N1,000 monthly, the same company has an offer of 500 MB for N500. Here are the codes to catch the offers:
Airtel
1.5 GB (N1,000) – *496#
Etisalat
500 MB (N500) – *229*2*12# or text ‘LCD2’ (without the quotes) to 229
1 GB (N1,000) – *229*2*7# or text ‘AND1’ to 229
1.5 GB (N1,200) – *229*2*25#
Glo
3.2 GB (N1,000) – *127*53#
MTN
1.5 GB (N1,000) – Text ‘106’ (without the quotes) to 131
Glo offers more data allowance per Naira in this category of best data plans in Nigeria.
Moderate Usage Plans
Like in the case of their N1,000 plans, Airtel and MTN offer you similar browsing data for N2,000. Each of them allocates 3.5 GB, which is only slightly more than what Glo offers for N1,000! Yet, Etisalat can only offer 2.5 GB for N2,000. Glo, in its case, provides 7.5 GB for the same price. Add N500 more and you get a total of 10 GB! Airtel offers 5 GB for the same N2,500. A worse offer is 3.5 GB for N2,500 from Etisalat – hm, who wants that?
Pay N3,000 and get 12 GB internet browsing data from Glo, while N3,500 only gets you 3.5 GB from Etisalat. Airtel has 7GB browsing data for N3,000, while Etisalat gives 6.5 GB for the same price. Glo provides 18 GB for N4,000; you get half of that for the same price from Airtel. Find the subscription codes for each offer in this category of best data plans in Nigeria below.
Airtel
3.5 GB (N2,000) – *437#
5 GB (N2,500) – *437*1#
7 GB (3,500) – *438#
9 GB (4,000) – *438*1#
Etisalat
2.5 GB (N2,000) – *229*2*8# or text AND2 to 229
3.5 GB (N2,500) – *229*2*26# or text AND22 to 229
5 GB (N3,500) – *229*2*9# or text AND3 to 229
Glo
7.5GB (2,000) – *127*55#
10 GB (2,500) – *127*58#
12 GB (3,000) – *127*54#
18 GB (4,000) – *127*59#
MTN
3.5 GB (N2,000) – Send 110 to 131
Glo again takes the crown here.
Heavy Usage Plans
This category of the 2017 best data plans in Nigeria is for others with prices not higher than N8,000. Airtel’s Mega 5 (10GB) and Mega 8 (16GB) plans go for N5,000 and N8,000, respectively. Etisalat offers a measly 11.5 GB for N8,000. Glo has 24 GB for N5,000 and double that data amount for N8,000. In its own case, MTN offers only a N5,000 (10GB) plan in this best data plans in Nigeria category. Here are the codes for the diverse plans:
Airtel
10 GB (N5,000) – *452#
16 GB (N8,000) – *460#
Etisalat
16GB (N8,000) – *229*2*5# or text MB6 to 229
Glo
24 GB (N5,000) – *127*2#
48 GB (N8,000) – *127*1#
MTN
10 GB (N5,000) – Send 116 to 131
It is obvious that Glo once again smacks its rivals in this category of the best data plans in Nigeria on the basis of value for money. Etisalat data plans appear to be the most costly right now. One can easily see why some networks appeared interested in purported data price hike of last year. Glo is clearly winning the price war. This is so unfair! 😀
Important Considerations
Although people often tend to focus more on price, that is not the only factor in determining the best data plans in Nigeria. Individual circumstances determine what is best. While Glo data plans are budget-friendly, they are practically useless if network quality is terrible in your area. There are people who place higher premium on connection quality, including yours sincerely. Many users do not need a data overload.
These days that we can now enjoy blazing-fast 4G LTE connectivity, it is another factor to consider. You can use your existing SIM for LTE data on Etisalat, but it appears you need a special SIM on Glo. Such and other special points need to be factored into the decision on best data plans in Nigeria.
It is left to you to determine what matters most to you – price or connection quality. But the temptation to save money may prove too strong for many. After all, who doesn’t like to have extra money for other expenses?
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