MTN Nigeria's Toriola Discusses Data Costs in Abuja Event

At the "Data on Trial" experience organized by MTN Nigeria on Monday in Abuja, CEO Karl Toriola discussed the factors influencing data pricing in Nigeria. He noted that operational costs, particularly for electricity and transportation, significantly affect pricing, with MTN spending about N4.05 trillion on power in the previous year.

Toriola emphasized that despite perceptions of high data costs in Nigeria, similar telecommunications equipment and technologies are used as in Europe and the U.S. He explained that the event aimed to educate consumers on how their phone settings and online activities impact data consumption.

Peter Akpatason, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, described the initiative as a means to enhance public understanding of data management. Mike Ndukwe, General Manager of Network Performance and Quality Assurance at MTN Nigeria, identified video streaming and social media as major contributors to rapid data consumption, explaining the varying data usage based on video resolution and duration.