Follow Us on Google
…dismisses allegations of deliberate data deductions
Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, has blamed the rapid exhaustion of internet data subscriptions on heavy video streaming, automatic app updates and background activities on smartphones, insisting that the company does not deliberately deduct subscribers’ data.
The company said many phone users were unaware that applications continued consuming data even when they were not actively using their devices, leaving them with less data than expected.
MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of Network Performance, Mike Ndukwe, stated this at a forum tagged “Data on Trial” in Abuja on Monday, held on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit.
He explained that the volume of data consumed by subscribers depended largely on how they used their phones, the applications installed on their devices and the settings enabled on those applications.
“We are 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,” Ndukwe said.
He identified TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp among the applications capable of consuming significant data, particularly when users watch high-quality videos or allow media files to download automatically.
According to him, a 15-second video on TikTok could use between two and 20 megabytes, depending on its resolution, while high-definition videos consume considerably more data than those streamed at lower quality.
Ndukwe noted that although ordinary WhatsApp text messages required little data, videos, status updates and media shared in groups could quickly deplete subscribers’ bundles when automatic downloads were enabled.
He urged users to review their application settings, warning that automatic downloads could consume data without subscribers consciously initiating the process.
Ndukwe further disclosed that WhatsApp had about 45 million users in Nigeria, while overall data consumption had risen by approximately 43 per cent year-on-year.
To reduce unexpected data usage, he advised subscribers to switch off automatic downloads, lower video resolution, enable data-saving functions and regularly check their consumption through the MyMTN application.
On discrepancies between data usage displayed on mobile phones and figures recorded by telecommunications networks, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager of IT Operations, David Ogunsola, said differences could arise from how devices and network systems measured consumption.
“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 differences in measurement and rounding could account for variations of between two and 12 per cent in some circumstances.
Ogunsola added that the type of network connection, whether 3G or 4G, mainly affected the speed at which subscribers accessed online services rather than directly determining the quantity 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 said.
Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, defended the cost of delivering telecommunications services, pointing to the high expenses associated with powering and transporting equipment to network sites across the country.
He said operators in Nigeria used equipment comparable to those deployed in Europe and the United States but faced higher operating costs, particularly in providing electricity for their facilities.
“Please understand that this country, as well as a few other African countries, we are providing power and transportation to all of our sites,” Toriola said.
Also speaking at the event, the Northwest Sales Manager of Xiaomi Nigeria, Kevin Kojode, identified software updates, cloud synchronisation, background applications and unrestricted mobile hotspot connections as other factors that could drain subscribers’ data.
He explained that even a one-gigabyte subscription could be significantly reduced by background updates, cloud backups and operating-system activities running without the user’s immediate knowledge.
Kojode advised subscribers to configure their phones to download updates only over Wi-Fi, set mobile data limits, monitor devices connected to their hotspots and reduce video streaming quality.
He said understanding and adjusting smartphone settings could help consumers take greater control of their internet consumption and make their data subscriptions last longer.
“Today, users don’t just go online, they stay online,” Kojode said.
