Why Nigerians’ Data Finishes Fast — MTN
MTN Nigeria has attributed the rapid depletion of subscribers’ internet data bundles to high-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications, cloud backups and increased internet activity, dismissing allegations that telecommunications operators deliberately deduct customers’ data.
The telecommunications company explained that many subscribers unknowingly consume substantial amounts of data through smartphone settings and applications that continue operating even when users are not actively browsing.
Speaking at a forum tagged “Data on Trial,” held 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 was largely determined by subscribers’ 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 explained that applications such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp consume varying amounts of data depending on video resolution, automatic playback and the frequency of downloads.
According to him, a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its quality, while high-definition streaming requires substantially more data than standard-definition viewing.
He said WhatsApp messages generally consume minimal data, but status updates, videos, group messages and automatic media downloads could exhaust subscriptions faster than users anticipated.
“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.
Ndukwe also cited figures indicating that data consumption increased by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year.
He advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, reduce streaming resolution, activate data-saving features and monitor consumption through the MyMTN application.
Also speaking, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, explained that differences between data recorded on smartphones and telecommunications networks could arise from 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 stated that variations in measurement and rounding could produce differences ranging from two per cent to approximately 12 per cent in some circumstances.
