Why Nigerians’ data finishes fast — MTN explains
by Adeola Balogun · The Eagle OnlineMTN Nigeria has attributed the rapid depletion of subscribers’ internet data bundles to high-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications and cloud backups, insisting that telecommunications operators do not deliberately deduct customers’ data.
The company said smartphone settings and applications often consume data without subscribers realising how much internet activity takes place when they are not actively browsing.
Speaking at a forum titled “Data on Trial” in Abuja on Monday, on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, said data consumption largely depended on subscribers’ online activities and device configurations.
“We’re not stealing your data.
“However, we completely understand how it feels, especially right now, where every amount counts.
“But the honest answer is that data is not taken without an action, either your action or your phone,” he said.
Ndukwe identified TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp as applications that could consume varying amounts of data depending on video quality, automatic playback and media downloads.
He explained that a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its quality, while high-definition streaming required substantially more data than standard-definition viewing.
According to him, WhatsApp text messages generally consume little data, but frequent status updates, videos, group messages and automatic media downloads can cause subscriptions to run out faster than expected.
“If your WhatsApp is set on auto-download, straight away it hits your data bundle. And that is where you can optimise some of your settings,” Ndukwe noted.
He disclosed that WhatsApp had approximately 45 million users in Nigeria, while TikTok ranked among the platforms generating substantial data traffic. He also cited figures indicating that data consumption had increased by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year.
The MTN official advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, reduce video streaming quality, activate data-saving features and monitor their usage through the MyMTN application.
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Also speaking at the forum, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, said discrepancies between data consumption displayed on smartphones and figures recorded by telecommunications networks could result from differences in measurement methods, background traffic and the timing of data sessions.
“The data that you measure on your devices is slightly different from what traverses over the network and what’s on the charge,” he said.
Ogunsola added that variations in measurement and rounding could produce differences ranging from two per cent to approximately 12 per cent in some circumstances.
He explained that network technology affected connection speed, while video quality and application settings determined the volume of data consumed.
“The network type that you are on, whether it’s 3G or 4G, just like Mike also explained earlier, would determine not how much data you use, but how fast you’re able to do what it is that you want to do,” he explained.
MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, defended the cost of providing telecommunications services, citing electricity expenses and the resources required to power and maintain network sites.
“Please understand that this country, as well as a few other African countries, we are providing power and transportation to all of our sites,” he said.
Toriola maintained that Nigerian operators used equipment comparable to that deployed in Europe and the United States but faced higher operating costs, particularly for electricity.
He said the company was intensifying consumer education to help subscribers understand their smartphone settings and manage their data usage.
The Northwest Sales Manager of Xiaomi Nigeria, Kevin Kojode, also identified automatic software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted hotspot connections as possible reasons for unexpected data depletion.
“Today, users don’t just go online, they stay online,” Kojode said.
Using a one-gigabyte subscription as an illustration, he explained that background updates, cloud backups and operating-system activities could consume data without users deliberately initiating downloads.
Kojode advised subscribers to restrict automatic updates to Wi-Fi connections, activate data limits, monitor hotspot connections and lower streaming quality.
He also highlighted smartphone features that enable users to monitor consumption and limit data sharing, saying a better understanding of device settings could help Nigerians manage their subscriptions more effectively.
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