MTN Nigeria has defended its data billing system, insisting that customers’ data are neither manipulated nor stolen, as it unveiled new transparency measures to address persistent concerns over data depletion.
The telecoms operator made the clarification at a public engagement held in Lagos at the weekend, tagged “Data on Trial.”
Executives, independent auditors, regulators, media professionals and digital content creators at the event examined how mobile data is consumed and billed.
Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said the event was designed to place the company’s data processes under public scrutiny and provide evidence-based explanations to consumers.
“For some time, discussions have centred on data consumption. Today, consumers are the judges. Our responsibility is to provide facts and transparency,” he said.
Toriola said many data depletion complaints are linked to modern digital habits, including video streaming, cloud backups, software updates, artificial intelligence tools and background application activities.
According to him, customers often underestimate the volume of data consumed by contemporary applications and connected devices.
He urged subscribers to review phone settings regularly and disable unnecessary background mobile data activity to better manage usage.
“We are not asking customers to trust us blindly. We want them to see the evidence and understand exactly how data is consumed,” he said.
Toriola disclosed that MTN’s Data Analyser Portal had undergone independent validation by KPMG and regulatory review by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Responding to demands for unlimited mobile data, Toriola said no mobile operator could sustainably provide unrestricted high-speed internet access without usage limits.
He explained that mobile network capacity was finite and must be shared among millions of subscribers, making unlimited consumption technically and economically impractical.
The chief executive officer also attributed some service disruptions to infrastructure vandalism, citing recent incidents where damaged telecoms facilities affected connectivity for millions of users.
According to him, telecoms operators continue to contend with fibre cuts, site vandalism, power challenges and other environmental factors impacting service quality.
Toriola revealed that MTN invested heavily in network expansion and maintenance after the recent tariff adjustment, which, he said, was necessary to keep the industry financially viable.
He said the company would integrate the Data Analyser Portal into the MyMTN App before the end of June to give customers easier access to usage information.
The company also announced plans to partner with the Lagos Business School on a nationwide “Data Experiment” that would independently test data consumption patterns across different digital activity.
The MTN boss said the initiative formed part of the organisation’s broader commitment to what he described as “radical transparency” in customer engagement.
“We do not cheat customers. What you consume is what you are billed for, and we will continue providing evidence to support that position,” he said.
A KPMG representative said the audit confirmed complete alignment between customer data displayed on the portal and records captured by MTN’s charging and billing systems.
According to the firm, data displayed on the portal accurately reflects actual network usage and corresponding billing records.
Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Yahaya Ibrahim, explained that data consumption had increased significantly because digital platforms now delivered richer and higher-quality content.
He said applications such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook continuously preloaded content, consuming data, even, when users are unaware.
Ibrahim noted that cloud services, automatic updates and synchronisation features also contributed substantially to data usage.
He dismissed claims that operators deliberately depleted customer data, describing such perceptions as misconceptions about how modern internet services functioned.
Ibrahim demonstrated MTN’s internal monitoring systems, including customer experience management tools and usage analytics dashboards that tracked network performance and application-specific consumption patterns.
According to him, the systems enable MTN to identify the applications consuming the highest volumes of customer data whenever complaints arise.
