MTN Nigeria has opened its data billing and network operations to public scrutiny in a bid to address persistent consumer concerns over alleged data depletion and rebuild customer trust.
The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, MTN, Tobe Okigbo, said at a press conference on Data on Trial in Lagos that the initiative would allow Nigerians to independently examine how data was consumed and billed on the network.
Okigbo said the exercise was designed to determine whether there are genuine system issues, customer misconceptions or areas requiring better consumer education.
According to him, MTN adopted a similar approach years ago when customers complained about unauthorised value-added service subscriptions and deductions.
He said the company then suspended affected services, subjected its systems to regulatory scrutiny and introduced 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 remained critical in the telecommunications business, adding that customers are more willing to use digital services when they understood how charges are applied.
He said the planned public engagement would be streamed live, allowing consumers and stakeholders across the country to participate and ask questions.
Also speaking, MTN’s General Manager, Network Quality, Mike Ndukwe, dismissed claims that operators arbitrarily deduct customer data.
Ndukwe explained that data consumption began when users stream videos, browse websites, download files or run applications in the background.
Using TikTok as an example, he said video quality significantly affected consumption, with high-definition content using several times more data than standard-definition videos.
He added that autoplay features, background updates, cloud backups and hotspot connections often consume data without users noticing.
