Nigerian consumers have expressed frustration with the telecommunications sector on two fronts – data depletion and the decline in the quality of telephone services. Both issues remain contentious, ADEYEMI ADEPETUN writes.
On February 14, 2025, Adekunle Wasiu lined up some activities targeted at giving his sweetheart, Nnenna, a surprise Valentine’s Day treat. Top of the agenda was to send some money into her account for shopping before a splendid evening outing.
While trying to wire the funds via his bank app, the transfer refused to complete. After almost seven failed attempts, something prompted him to check his data balance. Alas, it read zero megabytes.
Wasiu claimed to have subscribed to a 10GB monthly data plan via his network four days earlier. Reaching out to the customer care agent, he was told that his data had been processed.
Wasiu said he was told that some applications, among other issues, must have contributed to the sudden depletion of his data.
Scenarios such as this have become the norm in Nigeria’s telecom sector. It has continued to pit subscribers against the telcos and the regulator. Today, industry data show an increase in data consumption, which continues to translate into billions of naira for the service providers.
In a rapidly digitising Nigeria, mobile data has become more than a commodity — it is the lifeline for commerce, education, security, and social connection.
However, a persistent and widespread consumer complaint about data depletion has created a battleground pitting frustrated subscribers against mobile network operators (MNOs) and the industry’s regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Data depletion refers to the perception by subscribers that their data bundles are consumed much faster than their actual usage would warrant, leading to premature exhaustion of their plans.
A tale of vanishing megabytes
FOR millions of Nigerian Internet users, the experience is all too familiar. A freshly purchased data bundle, meant to last a month, seems to vanish in a matter of days or even hours, despite what users perceive as minimal usage. This has led to a torrent of complaints on social media, with subscribers accusing telcos of unfair billing practices, “sharp practices,” and outright theft.
Platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are rife with complaints. Users share screenshots of their data usage records, which often show a wide discrepancy between their device’s tracked data consumption and the rapid depletion of their subscribed bundles.
Beyond rapid depletion, consumers also report issues with failed airtime and data recharges and unexpected charges for services they did not explicitly subscribe to. These issues fuel the perception of systemic billing irregularities.
The level of frustration has escalated to the point of legal action. In April 2025, a class-action lawsuit was filed against a leading network operator in the country, over allegations of unexplained data depletion and billing discrepancies.
While data depletion remains, the quality of voice calls has also become a significant concern. Subscribers frequently report dropped calls, static on the line, and an inability to originate or receive calls, despite paying for services. These issues are often attributed to a combination of factors, including weak signal strength, network congestion, and damage to key infrastructure.
Blame game or technical reality?
MNOs, while acknowledging the complaints around data depletion, consistently deny any intentional shortchanging of their customers. They attributed rapid data depletion to factors outside of their control, a position supported by the NCC’s recent findings.
Telcos and the NCC point to a range of technical and non-technical factors responsible for data depletion. These include background applications, high-resolution content, malware and ads, and device settings, among others.
According to them, many apps, including social media platforms and operating systems, consume data for automatic updates, location services, and notifications, even when not in active use. They noted that the increased use of high-definition streaming, online gaming, and video calls on faster networks (4G and 5G) consumes a significantly larger amount of data.
They stressed that malicious software and in-app advertisements can covertly consume data without the user’s knowledge. This is even as they noted that a user’s device settings, such as autoplay videos on social media, can contribute to rapid data consumption.
Audits, awareness, and data-driven policies
CAUGHT in the middle of this dispute is the NCC, which is mandated to protect consumer interests while fostering a healthy telecommunications ecosystem. The NCC’s response has evolved from addressing complaints to a more holistic approach focused on consumer education and data-driven policy.
In response to persistent complaints, the NCC mandated MNOs to engage independent audit firms to scrutinize their billing systems. The findings of these audits, as reported by the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, were unexpected. The audits found “no major, systemic issues of data depletion or widespread billing inaccuracies on the networks.”
The NCC’s strategy has shifted towards consumer education, acknowledging that the perception of data depletion is often rooted in a lack of awareness about how modern devices and applications consume data. The NCC has launched sensitisation campaigns, including outreach programs at NYSC orientation camps, to teach Nigerians how to manage their data more effectively.
The NCC has also issued directives to telcos to simplify tariff plans and provide greater transparency. In July 2024, the NCC mandated MNOs to publish comprehensive tables of their tariff plans and promotional offers, ensuring all relevant information, including price, validity, and fair usage policies, is clearly communicated. The NCC is also working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to standardize electronic recharge processes to address failed top-ups.
A look at Nigeria’s telecom landscape
RECENT data from the NCC and other sources provide context for the ongoing debate. While the number of Internet users has fluctuated, data consumption has consistently soared, which supports the argument that data-intensive activities are on the rise.
As of June 2025, while there were 172 million active telephone lines, Internet users stood at 141.2 million and Broadband penetration was 48.9 per cent. While 4G network saw 50 per cent penetration, 5G continued to struggle with 3.07 per cent reach, but data consumption continued to soar, reaching 1,044,073.38 Terabytes.
A recent report revealed that MTN users now average 14GB per month. On the Airtel network, as of the beginning of this year, the average data usage for customers on their 4G network was 10.7GB per month and non-4G users averaged 5.7GB monthly.
Earlier in May, The Guardian reported that despite the sluggish economy, which forced citizens to prioritise food, groceries and transportation, operators still reported strong data usage growth on their networks in the first quarter, with the service adding over N2.37 trillion to their earnings in the last 15 months ending in May.
The numbers above showed a clear trend, even as the number of Internet subscribers has seen fluctuations due to events like the NIN-SIM linkage verification, the overall volume of data consumed has continued to climb. The rise of 4G and 5G connections and a significant increase in data usage, as high as one million terabytes per month, may have supported the NCC’s and telcos’ argument that data-hungry applications are driving consumption.
While the challenge remains, operators have equally come out to say that several challenges are limiting them in ensuring the quality of telephone services. For instance, Maida disclosed that telcos currently battle about 1,100 fibre cuts weekly, 545 access denials and 99 theft incidents in the country, which further compounds the quality of telephone services in the country.
MTN revealed over the weekend that in July 2025, it recorded 760 fibre cuts nationwide alone, stressing that it has thus far in 2025 recorded 5,478 fibre cut incidents.
Earlier in the year, Airtel disclosed that it recorded an average of 43 fibre cuts daily on its network.
Path to the future
THE conflict over data depletion in Nigeria is a complex issue with no easy answers. While subscribers are convinced of foul play, the NCC and MNOs present a technical explanation backed by audit findings and increasing data consumption statistics.
A telecom expert, Kehinde Aluko, submitted that the path forward appears to be a multi-pronged approach.
According to him, the NCC’s focus on sensitising the public about data-saving practices is crucial. Empowering consumers with the knowledge to manage their usage will help bridge the gap between perceived and actual data consumption.
Aluko said the telecom regulator must continue to enforce stricter regulations on tariff transparency and billing practices, stressing that clear, simple, and honest communication from telcos is essential for building consumer trust.
While telcos may not be actively shortchanging customers, underlying issues like network quality, inconsistent billing, and poor customer service remain significant.
According to him, addressing these issues will be vital to restoring confidence in the telecommunications sector.
“Ultimately, the resolution of the data depletion debate lies in a combination of informed consumers, accountable telcos, and a proactive regulator working collaboratively to ensure the digital lifeline that powers Nigeria’s economy is both efficient and trustworthy.”
