MTN to launch monitoring portal to tackle data depletion complaints

MTN Nigeria says it will launch a data usage transparency portal before the end of June as part of efforts to address subscriber concerns over data depletion and improve customer understanding of how data is consumed.
Tobe Okigbo, MTN’s chief corporate services and sustainability officer, spoke on Saturday during the company’s ‘Data on Trial’ event in Lagos.

Okigbo said the portal would be integrated into the telecoms firm’s self-service platforms and mobile application, allowing customers to monitor and better understand their data usage patterns.
“The portal will be ready before the end of the month,” he said.

“We want to test it with people like you to make sure that we’re presenting information that does not confuse but helps customers, and I think it will be very useful, particularly for routers.”
The development comes amid recurring complaints from subscribers who have questioned how quickly their data bundles are exhausted.

Okigbo also said the company will open its data billing and network operations to public scrutiny as part of efforts to address persistent consumer concerns over alleged data depletion and strengthen customer trust.

He said the initiative would enable Nigerians to independently examine how data is consumed and billed on the network.

The MTN official said the organisation had adopted a similar approach in the past when subscribers raised concerns about unauthorised value-added service subscriptions and deductions.
According to Okigbo, the company suspended the affected services, subjected its systems to regulatory scrutiny and implemented measures that restored consumer confidence.
“We want Nigerians to tell us what is wrong, ask questions and help us identify issues so that we can collectively find solutions,” he said.

Okigbo said trust remains critical in the telecommunications industry, adding that customers are more willing to embrace digital services when they understand how charges are applied.
He added that the planned public engagement would be streamed live to allow consumers and stakeholders across the country to participate and ask questions.
Also speaking, Mike Ndukwe, MTN’s general manager for network quality, dismissed claims that telecom operators arbitrarily deduct customer data.
Ndukwe said data consumption begins when users stream videos, browse websites, download files or run applications in the background.

He advised customers to manage usage by adjusting video resolution, limiting background applications and monitoring device settings.
Ndukwe also said data consumption is measured using globally recognised standards and verified billing systems, adding that MTN’s billing processes are subjected to periodic audits by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and independent assessors.

He said the charging technologies and standards deployed by the operator are used across multiple countries and regulated telecommunications markets.
On service quality, Asura Mshelia, MTN’s general manager for network services, said network performance depends on several interconnected systems.

Mshelia said customer traffic passes through base stations, transmission links, switching centres and internet gateways before reaching online destinations.
He identified network congestion, power outages, equipment faults and fibre cuts as some of the factors that can affect service quality.

The official said vandalism remains a major challenge, noting that MTN has recorded hundreds of attacks on telecommunications infrastructure, including the theft of generators, batteries, and solar equipment.
He said fibre cuts caused by road construction activities, sabotage and other illegal acts frequently disrupt services and affect large numbers of subscribers.
Mshelia urged Nigerians to help protect telecoms infrastructure, saying attacks on network facilities often result in widespread service disruptions.
‘NIGERIA’S MOBILE DATA AMONG TOP FOUR CHEAPEST GLOBALLY’
On his part, Karl Toriola, the chief executive officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, said the telcos’ data price is one of the cheapest in the world.
“Influencers and critics, look at the price at which we sell bundles of data. Then now take that price, go and check in Kenya, go and check in Congo, go and check across the world, and tell me if you are not going to tell me that data in Nigeria is one of the four cheapest in the world. Ghana is also very cheap, I acknowledge that,” he said.
Toriola further defended the data depletion issue by disclosing that even highly placed telecoms executives frequently fall victim to automated phone settings.
He also said MTN spent N900 billion on network expansion in 2025, adding that in 2026, the firm will spend N1 trillion.
According to the MTN executive, no network operator can guarantee 100 percent telephone service, especially in Nigeria, with various environmental challenges, including vandalism, theft of infrastructure, multiple regulations, among others.
He urged Nigerians to recognise the difficult terrain in which telecoms companies operate, noting that community policing of infrastructure is vital, as third-party road construction workers frequently sever critical fibre optic cables, instantly disconnecting thousands of subscribers.