POLITICAL Economy

Telecom Stakeholders Seek Transparency in Mobile Data Management

by admin on | 2026-10-27 11:55:19

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Telecom Stakeholders Seek Transparency in Mobile Data Management

By Muhammad Bala Imam

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector have called for greater transparency in mobile data management, improved consumer education and increased investment in infrastructure to enhance service delivery.

The call was made at the “Data on Trial” event in Abuja, where industry representatives and lawmakers discussed concerns over rapid data depletion, pricing and the technical processes involved in measuring and charging for internet usage.

Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, said the engagement provided an opportunity for Nigerians to understand how their data was managed and identify factors that couldcontribute to unnecessary consumption.

Akpatason addressed misconceptions about data pricing, particularly the perception that internet data was more expensive in Nigeria than in other countries. He noted that device settings and application usage could influence data consumption,rather than network operators being solely responsible for rapid depletion.

While acknowledging investments in the telecommunications sector, the lawmaker stressed the need for further investment to improve service delivery and meet consumers’ growing needs.

Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria,Karl Toriola, said customers had raised concerns about how their data was consumed and how operators explained the depletion of their subscriptions.

He said open discussions would enable subscribers to question industry practices while allowing operators to explain the technical processes involved in data measurement and billing.

Toriola emphasised that transparent engagement and consumer education were essential to building trust and improving public understanding of mobile data consumption.

Also speaking, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager, IT Solutions, David Ogunsola, explained that data usage figures displayed on mobile devices could differ from measurements recorded across telecommunications networks.

According to him, device-level measurementsgenerally reflect application usage, while network measurements may include additional data exchanged between applications, servers and other network components during online activities.

Ogunsola identified video-streaming quality,background applications, automatic content optimization and device settings as factors that could contribute to rapid data consumption.

The IT expert further noted that faster network connections could enable usersto access content more quickly and at higher quality, potentially increasingdata consumption depending on theirsettings and online activities.

The discussions highlighted the need for clearer communication between operators and subscribers, transparent billing practices and sustained investment in telecommunications infrastructure to improve service quality and strengthen consumer confidence in Nigeria’s telecoms sector.