The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, has urged Nigerians to optimise their mobile phone settings to reduce data consumption and prevent unnecessary depletion of their data bundles.
Toriola made the call on Monday in Abuja at the Data on Trial experience organised by MTN Nigeria to address public concerns about mobile data consumption and pricing in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was designed to educate consumers on how their phone settings, online activities and application preferences affect mobile data usage.
MTN Explains Factors Behind Data Pricing in Nigeria
Speaking at the event, Toriola said mobile data pricing in Nigeria was influenced by several factors, including the operational costs telecommunications companies incur to maintain their networks.
According to him, operators spend significant amounts on electricity, transportation and other infrastructure required to keep telecommunications sites running.
He disclosed that MTN spent about N4.05 trillion on power in the preceding year, highlighting the financial pressures associated with telecommunications operations.
Toriola explained that operators in Nigeria faced additional costs because they had to provide power and transportation to their network sites.
“Even within the context of data being perceived as more expensive in Nigeria, the UK is the example I was giving,” he said.
He added that the cost of electricity in Nigeria was higher than in the United Kingdom.
The MTN CEO also noted that Nigerian telecommunications operators deployed equipment and technologies similar to those used in Europe and the United States, including fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) networks.
House Committee Chairman Backs Data Awareness Initiative
Earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, described the Data on Trial initiative as an opportunity to improve public understanding of mobile data management.
Akpatason said the demonstration would help consumers understand how their devices consumed data and the steps they could take to prevent avoidable depletion.
He added that the initiative challenged public perceptions about data prices in Nigeria and provided an opportunity to discuss the factors affecting telecommunications services.
The lawmaker acknowledged the significant investments made in the telecommunications sector but noted that further investment was needed to improve service quality.
MTN Identifies TikTok, WhatsApp Activities That Consume Data Quickly
The General Manager of Network Performance and Quality Assurance at MTN Nigeria, Mike Ndukwe, identified video streaming, social media activities and automatic downloads as some of the major factors contributing to rapid mobile data consumption.
Ndukwe explained that the amount of data consumed depended on how users interacted with online content.
For instance, requesting a video on TikTok could consume relatively little data, while downloading or streaming the content could require significantly more, depending on its resolution and duration.
According to him, a 15-second TikTok video could consume between two megabytes (MB) and 20MB, depending on its resolution.
He explained that high-definition videos generally consumed more data than standard-definition content.
Ndukwe also noted that 4G and 5G networks supported higher-quality video streaming, which could increase data consumption when applications automatically selected higher resolutions.
This means that users could exhaust their data bundles more quickly when streaming high-resolution videos, particularly if applications automatically played successive videos.
How WhatsApp Settings Can Drain Your Data
The MTN official warned that WhatsApp users could experience rapid data depletion because of automatic media downloads, status updates, media shared in group chats and chat backups.
When automatic downloads are enabled, photos, videos and other files can consume mobile data without users deliberately downloading each item.
Similarly, backing up chats and media over a mobile network can contribute to data consumption, especially when large files are involved.
To reduce unnecessary usage, Ndukwe advised subscribers to disable automatic media downloads, restrict background data usage and configure applications to download large files only when connected to Wi-Fi.
He also recommended enabling data-saving features on TikTok and other social media platforms, reducing video resolution and disabling automatic playback where possible.
Practical Ways Nigerians Can Reduce Mobile Data Consumption
Based on the recommendations shared at the MTN event, subscribers can take several steps to manage their data bundles more effectively.
1. Disable automatic media downloads on WhatsApp
Configure WhatsApp to download photos, videos and documents only when necessary. This can help prevent unwanted media from consuming mobile data.
2. Restrict background data usage
Some applications use mobile data even when they are not actively open. Reviewing background data permissions can help reduce this consumption.
3. Enable data-saving mode on social media applications
Where available, activate data-saving features on TikTok and other platforms to reduce the amount of data used when browsing content.
4. Reduce video streaming quality
Choose standard-definition video instead of high-definition streaming when conserving data is a priority.
5. Disable automatic video playback
Turn off autoplay where the application allows it to avoid consuming data on videos you did not intend to watch.
6. Use Wi-Fi for large downloads and backups
Whenever a trusted Wi-Fi connection is available, use it to download large files, update applications and back up media.
7. Monitor your data consumption regularly
Check which applications consume the most data and adjust their settings accordingly.
MTN Recommends MyMTN App for Data Monitoring
Ndukwe said MTN provided tools, including the MyMTN app, to help customers monitor their data usage in real time and receive alerts.
He added that the company regularly educated subscribers about data-saving practices and offered MTN FiberX as an unlimited data option for customers with high data requirements, subject to applicable terms and conditions.
The MTN official maintained that rapid data depletion generally resulted from users’ online activities or phone settings rather than unexplained deductions.
He urged subscribers to understand how their devices and applications consumed data so they could make informed decisions about their mobile internet usage.
The initiative comes amid continuing public concerns about mobile data pricing, bundle depletion and the cost of staying connected in Nigeria.