MTN Nigeria has explained why many subscribers experience rapid depletion of their internet data bundles, attributing the trend to video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications and smartphone settings that consume data without users’ knowledge.
The telecommunications company’s explanation comes amid persistent complaints from Nigerians who say their data subscriptions run out faster than expected, raising suspicions that network providers may be deducting more data than subscribers actually use.
Speaking at a forum titled “Data on Trial” in Abuja on Monday, held on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, denied that operators deliberately take customers’ data.
“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 different amounts of data depending on video quality, automatic playback and download settings.
He said watching a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its resolution, while high-definition streaming uses significantly more data than standard-definition viewing.
Although ordinary WhatsApp text messages consume relatively little data, he noted that videos, status updates, group chats and automatic media downloads could quickly exhaust a subscriber’s bundle.
“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 said.
He disclosed that WhatsApp had approximately 45 million users in Nigeria and identified TikTok as one of the platforms generating significant data traffic. He also cited figures showing that data consumption had increased by about 43 per cent year-on-year.
To reduce unexpected data depletion, Ndukwe advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, lower video streaming quality, activate data-saving features and monitor their usage through the MyMTN application.
Also speaking, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, said differences between data usage displayed on smartphones and figures recorded by telecommunications networks could result from variations 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,” Ogunsola said.
He explained that such differences could range from two per cent to about 12 per cent in some circumstances, adding that network technology mainly determines connection speed, while applications and video settings influence the volume of data consumed.
MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, also defended the cost of providing internet services, citing the high expenses involved in powering and maintaining telecommunications infrastructure across the country.
He said Nigerian operators use equipment comparable to that deployed in Europe and the United States but face higher operating costs, particularly for electricity.
Toriola added that MTN was intensifying efforts to educate consumers on how smartphone settings affect data consumption.
Similarly, Xiaomi Nigeria’s Northwest Sales Manager, Kevin Kojode, identified automatic software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted hotspot connections as other factors that could cause data bundles to run out unexpectedly.
Subscribers can reduce unnecessary consumption by checking which applications use the most data, restricting background activity, turning off automatic media downloads and software updates over mobile networks, and setting data-usage alerts on their phones.