MTN Nigeria has explained that subscribers may be losing data rapidly because of high-resolution videos, automatic downloads, background applications, cloud backups and increased internet activity. BuyMaps
According to ThePUNCH, MTN also rejected allegations of deliberate data deductions, saying many subscribers are unaware that some smartphone applications and settings continue consuming data in the background.
MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, said subscribers’ activities and device configurations largely determine their data consumption.
Ndukwe spoke at a forum tagged “Data on Trial” held in Abuja on Monday on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit. BuyMaps
“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.
He explained that data usage on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp is influenced by video resolution, automatic playback and how often users download content.
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.
Ndukwe explained that while ordinary WhatsApp messages consume relatively little data, features such as status updates, videos, group chats and automatic media downloads can quickly exhaust data subscriptions.
“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. BuyMaps
Ndukwe also cited figures indicating that data consumption increased by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year.
He urged subscribers to disable automatic downloads, lower streaming quality, activate data-saving features and monitor their usage through the MyMTN app.
Also speaking, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, said discrepancies between data usage recorded on smartphones and telecommunications networks could result from differences in measurement methods, background traffic and the timing of data sessions. BuyMaps
“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 attributed some differences in data usage figures to measurement methods and rounding, which he said could account for discrepancies of up to approximately 12 per cent in certain circumstances.
He further explained that network technology determined connection speed, while streaming quality and application settings affected data consumption.
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“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 CEO Karl Toriola has cited electricity costs and the upkeep of telecommunications sites as key factors in the cost of delivering internet services. BuyMaps
“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 MTN was stepping up consumer education to help subscribers understand their smartphone settings and manage their internet data usage.
The Northwest Sales Manager of Xiaomi Nigeria, Kevin Kojode, similarly attributed unexpected data depletion to automatic software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted hotspot connections. BuyMaps
“Today, users don’t just go online, they stay online,” Kojode said.
Using a one-gigabyte data subscription as an example, he explained that background updates, cloud backups and operating-system activities could consume data without subscribers deliberately initiating downloads.
He advised users to restrict automatic updates to Wi-Fi, set data limits, monitor hotspot connections and lower streaming quality to manage consumption.
According to Kojode, subscribers can better manage their data bundles by using smartphone features that monitor consumption and control data sharing.