The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, has attributed the perceived high cost of data subscriptions in Nigeria to the significant expenses telecommunications operators incur on electricity and transportation to their network sites.
He disclosed this at the Data on Trial experience held in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking at the event, hosted by popular Big Brother Naija reality television presenter Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Toriola said the company’s expenditure on power and transportation amounted to N4.05 trillion last year.
Responding to questions from Nigerian subscribers, the MTN Nigeria CEO explained that the company provides similar telecommunications services and uses the same equipment as operators in some European countries, including the United Kingdom, but faces higher operating costs in Nigeria.
“Even within the context of data being perceived as more expensive in Nigeria, the UK was the example I was giving. Please understand that in this country, as well as a few other African countries, we are providing power and transportation to all our sites.
“That is all happening at a cost of electricity that is much higher than in the UK. For example, we spent about N4.05 trillion last year before the price increase that would lead to a state of global war and crisis. N4.05 trillion last year would be on power. In addition, we are providing 5G and 4G to Europe and the United States,” he said.
Toriola added that MTN uses the same equipment and products as telecommunications operators in foreign markets.
“We are providing the exact same equipment, the exact same products that those foreign operators are using. And actually, the building systems that we use in Nigeria, everything is a building system. It’s exactly the same,” he said.
He further explained that the initiative was designed to educate subscribers about data consumption, including how mobile device settings and usage habits affect their subscriptions.
Meanwhile, the Cable Fact Checker team at the event presented findings indicating that MTN’s data services in Nigeria were cheaper than those in several other African countries, citing data from 2023 and 2026.
Addressing concerns about rapid data depletion raised by the head prosecutor representing subscribers, Ekito Labo-Albert, MTN officials explained how mobile applications such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook consume subscribers’ data.
The company’s General Manager of Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Michael Ndukwe, alongside members of its IT support team, provided practical demonstrations on how mobile applications consume data and how subscribers can manage their usage.
MTN urged subscribers to manage their data consumption by adjusting their mobile device settings appropriately.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, commended MTN for organising the educational initiative, saying it would help subscribers better understand data management.
“It’s an event organised by MTN to show how transparently they manage the data that Nigerian consumers subscribe to. It’s such a wonderful one.
“I see it as an opportunity for people to understand exactly how their data is managed and some of the things they need to do to avoid poor data management that will result in losing data.
“It was also an opportunity to clear the air on so many misconceptions in the country about data management.
“Particularly, for instance, they spoke about the pricing of data, and a lot of people believe that data is priced higher in Nigeria than in all other African countries, including everywhere in the world. But at the end of the day, it was proven that this is not the case,” he told Nigerian Newssphere in an interview after the event.
Nigerian Newssphere reports that the event brought together subscribers who were given the opportunity to question MTN about its data services and how their subscriptions are managed.
The Data on Trial initiative was previously held in Lagos on June 6, 2026.
