MTN CEO Discusses Unlimited Data Comments, Clarifies Data Usage, Tariff Outlook

Weeks after his remarks that “unlimited mobile data doesn’t exist, except if you are paying a fortune” sparked widespread public debate among Nigerian telecom subscribers, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr. Karl Toriola, has defended the comments, saying they were taken out of context.Speaking during an interview with Nifemi Oguntoye on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines, Toriola said his remarks at MTN’s Data on Trial public engagement were intended to explain the technical limitations of mobile networks rather than suggest that consumers could never access unlimited data.Responding to the reactions, Toriola said excerpts of his comments circulated online failed to capture the full context. “People took snippets of the conversation and the entirety of the conversation is available on YouTube. There’s nothing to be hidden there, and they took it slightly out of context.”He explained that mobile networks operate on finite spectrum resources, making unrestricted data usage technically impractical without affecting the experience of other users.”Mobile wireless technology to offer data is limited by one factor —spectrum— and spectrum is a finite resource. You cannot put an excessive load of data traffic onto a mobile network without having a degradation of the quality of service for other people.”Toriola noted that while many operators market plans as unlimited, such packages are typically governed by fair usage policies that reduce speeds after subscribers exceed certain thresholds. He added that MTN is working towards introducing similar products, but they would also be subject to fair usage limits to protect other consumers on the network.Beyond the unlimited data debate, the MTN Nigeria CEO acknowledged consumers’ frustrations concerning data depletion, insisting operators do not deliberately take customers’ data to shortchange them. Instead, he said background activities such as cloud backups on applications including WhatsApp, Google Cloud and iCloud account for a significant portion of data usage without users’ knowledge. “A significant amount of data that’s consumed on your handsets is done without your realisation.”He advised subscribers to review their device settings and configure backups to run only over Wi-Fi or at less frequent intervals. To buttress the point, Toriola cited the example of one of MTN Chief Officers who became concerned about her unusually high data usage. An audit of her phone revealed that WhatsApp was routinely backing up about 120 GB of data.On telecom pricing, Toriola said another tariff increase is not imminent, and future reviews would depend on economic realities and the cost of sustaining network operations.”The increment is not imminent. But over time, depending on economic conditions, there might be possible tariff increases.”He maintained that the 2025 tariff adjustment was necessary to ensure the industry’s survival after more than a decade without any price review despite rising operating costs.The MTN chief executive also highlighted the company’s continued investment in network expansion, revealing that it invested ₦390 billion in capital expenditure in the first quarter of the year, more than its ₦359 billion profit after tax for the same period.According to him, persistent challenges such as fibre cuts, vandalism, unreliable electricity supply and restricted access to telecom sites continue to affect service quality despite record investments. “We have more fibre cuts in a day than the whole Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has in a year.”Addressing recurring calls for sanctions against MTN following ongoing incidents in South Africa, Toriola stressed that MTN Nigeria is a Nigerian company in both identity and operations, noting that it is listed on the Nigerian Exchange, has only four expatriates in its workforce and millions of Nigerian shareholders through direct investments and pension funds.”We unequivocally condemn any form of xenophobia, any form of violence, any form of attacks against any community in the world.”He added: “We’re a Nigerian company through and through… We have nowhere else to go but Nigeria. This is home for us.”