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MTN Nigeria has explained why many Nigerians experience rapid depletion of their internet data bundles, attributing the trend to video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications and other activities that consume data without users’ knowledge.
The telecommunications company dismissed allegations that network operators deliberately deduct subscribers’ data, insisting that consumption largely depends on users’ online activities and smartphone settings.
Speaking at a forum tagged Data on Trial in Abuja on Monday, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, said applications and device configurations were major factors influencing data consumption.
“We’re not stealing your data,” Ndukwe said, acknowledging subscribers’ concerns over the cost of internet access.
He explained that platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp could consume significant amounts of data, depending on video quality, automatic playback and media downloads.
According to him, a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its resolution.
Ndukwe also warned that WhatsApp users could exhaust their data subscriptions faster than expected when automatic downloads are enabled, particularly in groups where videos, pictures and other media files are frequently shared.
He disclosed that data consumption in Nigeria had increased by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year, highlighting the growing demand for internet services.
To reduce unnecessary consumption, he advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, lower video streaming quality, activate data-saving features and monitor their usage through the MyMTN application.
MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, also explained that differences between data consumption figures displayed on smartphones and those recorded by telecommunications networks could result from different measurement methods, background traffic and the timing of data sessions.
He said such variations could range from two per cent to approximately 12 per cent in some circumstances.
Ogunsola added that network technology, including 3G and 4G, primarily affects connection speed rather than directly determining how much data a subscriber consumes.
Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, defended the cost of providing telecommunications services, citing high electricity and transportation expenses associated with powering and maintaining network infrastructure across the country.
Toriola maintained that Nigerian operators deploy equipment comparable to those used in Europe and the United States but face higher operating costs, particularly in providing electricity to telecommunications sites.
Also speaking at the event, Xiaomi Nigeria’s Northwest Sales Manager, Kevin Kojode, identified automatic software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted hotspot connections as additional factors responsible for unexpected data depletion.
He urged smartphone users to restrict automatic updates to Wi-Fi connections, set data limits, monitor hotspot connections and reduce streaming quality to manage their subscriptions more effectively.
The explanations come amid persistent complaints by Nigerian subscribers over the rapid exhaustion of data bundles and the rising cost of staying connected.
