MTN Nigeria has blamed rapid depletion of internet data bundles on high-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications, and cloud backups, denying allegations that telecommunications operators deliberately deduct subscribers’ data.
The company said many users unknowingly consume large amounts of data through smartphone settings and applications running in the background.
Speaking at a forum tagged “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 users’ online activities and device configurations.
Ndukwe explained that platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp consumed varying amounts of data depending on video quality, automatic playback and media downloads.
He noted that a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its resolution, while high-definition streaming required significantly more data than standard-definition viewing.
According to him, WhatsApp messages generally consume little data, but automatic downloads of videos, status updates and other media could quickly exhaust subscriptions.
He advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, lower video quality, activate data-saving features and monitor usage through the MyMTN application.
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Ndukwe also disclosed that data consumption had increased by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year, reflecting growing internet activity.
Also speaking, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, said differences between data usage recorded on smartphones and telecommunications networks could result from varying measurement methods, background traffic and the timing of data sessions.
He added that such differences could range from two per cent to approximately 12 per cent in some circumstances.
Ogunsola explained that network technology, such as 3G or 4G, primarily determined connection speed, while video quality and application settings influenced the volume of data consumed.
MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, defended the cost of providing internet services, citing high electricity and transportation expenses associated with powering and maintaining telecommunications sites.
He said Nigerian operators used equipment comparable to that deployed in Europe and the United States but faced higher operating costs, particularly for electricity.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi Nigeria’s Northwest Sales Manager, Kevin Kojode, attributed unexpected data depletion to automatic software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted hotspot connections.
Kojode urged users to restrict automatic updates to Wi-Fi, set data limits, monitor hotspot connections and reduce streaming quality to manage their subscriptions more effectively.
He said understanding smartphone settings and monitoring data consumption could help subscribers reduce unnecessary usage and make their internet bundles last longer.
