MTN Nigeria has attributed fast data depletion of customers to high-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications, cloud backups and increased internet activity
The telecommunications company noted that many subscribers unknowingly consume substantial amount 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 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, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, defended the cost of providing internet services, citing electricity expenses and the responsibility of powering and maintaining telecommunications 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 deployed equipment comparable to that used 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 smartphone settings and control their internet usage.
Earlier, Chairman, House of Reps committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason noted that the forum was crucial for Nigerians to understand data structure and also provide an avenue for investment.