We all know that IPTV has its highs and lows, pros and cons in Africa, especially Nigeria. As we are also aware, affordable internet and speed is the major if not the only challenge we face in Africa. In Today’s article, I will be critically analysing and explaining the various cheapest internet subscriptions for IPTV users in Nigeria.  This write-up is born out of thorough research in order to bring to you the most affordable internet subscription that you can use with IPTV in Nigeria

What is IPTV? and what is the Relationship with Internet Connection?

While I won’t bore you with the definition of IPTV as you can get the load down here, it will be a disservice if I don’t explain the relationship between IPTV and internet connection. Let me say that the internet is a constant while IPTV is a variable. there is no IPTV without an active internet connection. While internet predates IPTV, IPTV simply exists because of the internet. In a layman’s language, you can stream IPTV contents without internet

Forms of the Cheapest internet Subscriptions for IPTV in Nigeria

We have three broad forms of cheap internet in Nigeria. Every internet plans fall under these categories. These categories are as follows:

1. The first and the most reliable and dependable category of internet subscription is the official data plans of individual internet service providers in Nigeria. These are always there anytime, any day but they are the cheapest.
2. Secondly, occasional promo for new and existing customers is another form of getting cheap internet subscription in Nigeria. At the moment, hardly will you find one ISP in Nigeria without an ongoing promo. More on this later.
3. Finally, the cheapest and the most volatile is unofficial internet packages. Not up to one month ago, there was a loophole in MTN Nigeria network that allowed people to get 120gb free(this was wiped within 24hours though). Similarly, we have various sme or share data packages ongoing. All these and more add up to the unofficial form of internet sub in Nigeria.

Pre-requisites for IPTV Usage in Nigeria

• First off, Research the best affordable network
• Secondly, determine the network strength in your location
• buy the least bundle and test the speed here
• Determine how to use your IPTV service package. Will you use it on an Android tv box, your mobile phone or tablet?
• Calculate the cost and effect of acquiring the IPTV package. As yourself questions like is it worth it? For example, DStv happens to have the most complete satellite paytv package in Nigeria and their highest bouquet costs #15,800. If you must dump dstv for IPTV, it must be from a premium IPTV service provider be it legally(e.g futbol tv, sling tv, NetFlix beIN connect) or illegally(e.g xtream iptv, e-vision, myhd iptv, homelive apollo and so on).
• Next is the calculation to see if it is worth it. For example, if you buy an IPTV account for #5,000 for six months, you may require around 10gb of data per month if you use it sparingly and only for IPTV. 5000/6 + 5000 = #5833 per month. You can even increase your data cost to between #8000 and #10,000 and it will still be cheaper than dstv premium. Now the major challenge is that most iptv only offers sports, movies, news, music. You can’t get local channels on most. Summarily, you may still need to subscribe to a low bouquet on your from your local pay-TV company. While come what may, IPTV can be profitable to sports and movie lovers, the same cannot be said of those who only enjoy local channels.

Don’t miss the followings:

• Lemmy Morgan Cheap & Free Data for MTN, Airtel, Glo & 9mobile-(Update May 2019: Glo 4GB for #500))
• Comparative Analysis of Mobile Internet Data Plans in Nigeria – Which Should you Opt for?
• 4G LTE Cellular Network Technology in Nigeria: Which Networks are Supported?
• How to Watch IPTV Programs Directly form the Source or Safely as Individuals
• Enjoy premium tv programs including sports(using free trial accounts) 100% legal/official

How much Data/Bandwidth does IPTV Streams Consumes?

You can comfortably use a stable 3G network to stream video contents in Nigeria so long the network is fast and stable. In a nutshell, with a download speed of “3.75 Mbps”, you are good to go with 3G networks. Sadly, only 9mobile can offer such speed in Nigeria during peak periods.

As for the data consumption, it depends on the video quality/size. In addition, it can also depend on the device you are using. For example, streaming IPTV program in 4K video resolution can cost you as music as 5GB of data in 90 minutes. Now, streaming the same program in SD like 420 x 574p you can be charge as low as 400MB. Mobile IPTV generally consumes lesser data when you select low video quality. I remember that i have streamed a football match on mobile and I was charged just 250MB for it. I used mobdro back then. Sadly, the lower the resolution, the pooer the video quality. Therefore, you need to trade off one for the other. HD videos are between 700mb in 90 minutes to 1.5gb.

Anytime I  will surely recommend a 4G sim in a 4G coverage area and use it for your IPTV. As you can see, my 4G speed gave me a massive 14.5 Mbps of speed. I can comfortably stream in HD with such value.

Important Notice

Before you buy any internet data bundle from any internet service provider, you should be aware of the following conditions:

• Not every IPTV service providers offer videos in SD. Most of them only do HD and 4k videos. If you subscribe to such service and data management is on your mind, you will run at a loss. For example, DStv showmax offers difference low definition videos and they are all very clear. Xtream IPTV(this is a pirated service beware) offers 4K, HD and SD. beIN offers only HD and 4K. the list goes on
• For the best experience, It is strongly advised that you either buy a router for your IPTV need if you will be watching it on a set-top box.
• The best data plan for everyday IPTV is an unlimited plan. If you are on a capped data subscription, you need to be very disciplined as to watch only when need be.
• If you run a soccer viewing centre and you have a good internet connection with reasonable customers, you can’t go wrong with IPTV.

Cheapest Internet Subscriptions for IPTV Streaming in Nigeria

Caution: if you simply want to be using your own IPTV without disconnecting it 24/7, it simply means you want to go for an unlimited data bundle plan. At the moment, I average between 8GB to 10GB monthly for watching IPTV. The reason i am able to do this is that I watch only very important matches on weekends. Secondly, I rarely ever watch in HD or 4k quality.

I will arrange this in order of overall affordability, reliability and speed.

Number 1: Spectranet Nigeria 4GLTE Services

Spectranet services are available in Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan(Some people said it is also available in Portharcourt, Benin e.t.c but are not sure of that) They offer an overall cheapest 4g/LTE plan in Nigeria. Some of their internet data plans recommended for IPTV are as follows.some of their plans usable with premium IPTV packages are;

• Smile Nigeria 4G LTE Network:

Smile is available in  Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, Benin City, Kaduna, Onitsha and Asaba. It will please you to know that smile offers the cheapest Unlimted 4G data plan In Nigeria. In addition, it has a slight edge in terms of speed over the competition.

If you plan to use smile network for IPTV, be ready to go for their unlimited plan because that’s the overall cheapest data plan they have. You pay #19,800 and in return, you get their unlimited premium plan for 30 days. Smile has no fair usage policy or speed throttling.

Cheapest Internet Subscriptions for IPTV Services Among the Four GSM Internet Service Providers in Nigeria.

What I mean by GSM is simply our mobile networks in Nigeria like MTN Nigeria, Globacom Nig, Etisalat Nig and Airtel Nig. Luckily, they all offer 4G Networks with glo having the most problematic 4g band amongst the rest.  I will Arrange this in terms of the cheapest to the most expensive.

• Number 1: MTN NIGERIA with their MTN Yafun Yafun & MTN Deal Zone Offer

It will surprise many that MTN takes the top spot. Well, I put them here because of their stability, speed and reliability all with an affordable price. The cheapest MTN data plans come in the form of two offers.

1. MTN deal zone offer for a special existing customer. On the offer, you can get 4GB of data for just #1000. To check if you are eligible, simply dial *131*65# and follow the prompt. Make sure you don’t have up to 1000 in your account balance. If you receive an “insufficient balance message, congratulations you are eligible. If otherwise, then you are not.
2. What is MTN YafunYafun?MTN YafunYafun is a special tariff plan that rewards New MTN customers with lots of benefits after registering and activating a new SIM. Every new customer who purchases either their 4g or 3g sim is eligible. Apart from getting mega call card bonuses, you stand to get double your recharge bonus on every data you subscribe to for the next six months. For example, if you buy their 3.5GB data @ #2,000, you will get 7GB in total. To buy a data plan on an MTN yafun yafun sim, simply dial *131*1#

• Number 2 Glo Nigeria Limited the Grandmaster of Data

Glo is not the self-acclaimed grandmaster of data for nothing. To be honest, they offer the overall cheapest data. Just like mtn, their cheapest data is for their new customers whom they call “Glo oga Customers“. To become a glo oga subscriber, you need to buy a new glo sim. You will get double your data recharge on all glo oga sim for the next 3 months. To migrate to glo oga data subscription, simply dial *777#. Below is a table showing the comparison between glo existing users and glo oga users.

• Airtel Nigeria SmartConnect Doule Data offer for New Customers

The competition they say is good. Airtel is not left out in this wave of double data promo for new customers. Although I am still suspicious of airtel bandwidth calculator, you can’t go wrong if you opt-in as a new user because of their promo. This offer valid for 3 months. Dial *141# on your new airtel sim to purchase the data. To enjoy Airtel double data promo, complete the following steps:

View the table below to see the list of available plans on Airtel Double Data Offer

• 9mobile Mega offer for new Subscribers, Campus Offer and Data Accumulation

Sadly, 9mobiles offer for new customers is a one-off package. In other words, you can’t enjoy it more than once. However, they reward existing and loyal customers better than the rest. I will discuss three methods of enjoying the cheapest internet subscriptions for IPTV on 9mobile Network.

1. 9mobile one-time data offer only for new subscribers: one-off data: 4.5GB @ ‎₦500 or 1.5GB @ ‎₦200 (each with 5 days validity) as a one-off purchase within 30 days. To qualify, buy and register a new 9mobile sim, recharge it with 500ngn or more. Then dial *200# to purchase a data plan.
2. 9Mobile Campus data offer: T be eligiblle, you must be within the premises of one of the applicable locations in Nigeria. New & existing morecliq, moretalk, cliqlite & talkzone customers can purchase any of the data bundles at selected campuses. Once activated, the data can be used within or outside the campus.

   HOW TO BUY

   dial *609*3# (no sms option) 1GB cost 500ngn and it is valid for 14 days.

3. How to accumulate data on 9mobile: I have a post on this already so take your time to go through the post and follow the instructions. We also have 9kobile SME data ongoing. check this article for detail

Final Thoughts & Recommendation 

To be honest, it is difficult to pick one out of the pack as the best. It all depends on certain variables such as the availability of the fastest network and stability. In my current location, MTN offers the fastest 4G network and i am an MTN Deal zone subscriber.

Furthermore, you can consider the price. If you are in Ibadan or other cities where we have smile network, and you heavily depend on the internet, nothing should prevent you from subscribing to smile unlimited plan.

From another perspective, you may not even need IPTV after all if none of the networks offers a good enough speed for IPTV. At one point in time, even when you have an unlimited plan for IPTV, you may wish to combine local paytv subscription with IPTV so that you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Finally, i believe with the help of this article, you will be able to make a better decision as regards choosing the cheapest internet subscriptions for IPTV within Nigeria.