MTN Nigeria attributes rapid data depletion to user settings and app activity

MTN Nigeria has denied allegations of deliberate data theft, attributing the rapid exhaustion of mobile data bundles to smartphone configurations and high-bandwidth digital activities. During a “Data on Trial” forum held in Abuja alongside the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, company executives addressed public concerns regarding data consumption and pricing.

Mike Ndukwe, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, identified high-definition video streaming on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram as a primary driver of data usage. He noted that a single 15-second TikTok video can consume between 2MB and 20MB depending on resolution. Other significant contributors include WhatsApp’s automatic media downloads, background application refreshes, cloud backups, and automatic operating-system updates.

MTN CEO Karl Toriola defended data pricing by citing high operational costs, noting that the company spent approximately ₦4.05 trillion on power in the previous year. He emphasized that electricity and transportation costs in Nigeria are higher than in regions like the UK. To manage usage, MTN advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, reduce video quality, use data-saving modes, and restrict background data usage.