We Are Not Stealing Your Data – MTN Tells Nigerians Why Their Data Finishes Fast

Telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria, has denied allegations that the organization steals the data of its consumers.

Explaining why many consumers get to have their data exhausted fast, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, attributed it to high-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications, cloud backups and increased internet activity.

According to him, many subscribers unknowingly consume substantial amounts of data through smartphone settings and applications that continue operating even when users are not actively browsing.

Naija News reports that the MTN official spoke on Monday in Abuja on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit.

He dismissed allegations that the company intentionally deduct 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 advised customers to optimize the settings on their phones to ensure they are always in charge of their data usage.

He explained that while it is generally accepted that WhatsApp messages consume minimal data, other activities such as status updates, videos, group messages and automatic media downloads could exhaust subscriptions faster than users anticipated.

The official added 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.

“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 advised subscribers to disable automatic downloads, reduce streaming resolution, activate data-saving features and monitor consumption.

Similarly, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, explained that there could be differences between data usage calculated by consumers and what the company calculates.

He attributed such disparity to 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,” he said.

He also explained that the network technology customers are connected to also produce different data charges.

According to him, network technology primarily determined connection speed, while video quality and application settings influenced the volume of data consumed.

“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.

Data Cost

Speaking on what customers pay, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said the company has to pay high costs for power and site maintenace, which automayically affects the final cost paid by consumers.

“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 appealed.