Leading telecom operator MTN Nigeria has found itself in another major data depletion outrage after a suspected glitch in its daily data usage report to subscribers. The incident comes at a time when Nigerians are paying more for data amid harsh economic conditions.
The controversy gained attention on Thursday, August 13, after Bashir Ahmad, Special Assistant on Digital Communications to former President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari, tweeted. According to his tweets, the daily MTN Nigeria SMS data reported that he used 58.83 gigabytes (GB) via the cellular network on Tuesday, August 11.
Ahmad claimed he couldn’t consume such an amount of data in a day and that his phone automatically connects to Wi-Fi when he is at home.
“There is absolutely no way I could have used 56GB in a single day when I didn’t do any heavy data-consuming activity. Additionally, whenever I am at home, my phone automatically connects to Wi-Fi. So MTN needs to explain how this 56GB was supposedly consumed ooo,” one of his tweets reads.
Ahmad’s case comes amid recurring complaints from subscribers about discrepancies between their actual data usage and the figures reported by telecom operators. Most Nigerians always feel cheated on data counts, with continuous calls for accurate billing and value for their money.
For an average user, the cost of a subscription takes up a significant percentage of their daily/monthly earnings, prompting them to demand a long-term justification for the billing system’s ethical standards. It becomes serious when access to the internet has become inevitable due to shifts in work culture and advancements in technology.
The recent regulatory attempt to appease public outcry was the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) directive that operators should compensate Nigerians for poor network quality between November 2025 and January 2026. While integrity concerns still mar the reward system, the NCC has promised to investigate whether operators actually compensated 75 million users as claimed.
Also Read: MTN Nigeria posts ₦707 billion profit in H1 2026, up 70% as data revenue surges.
MTN’s response that triggered more scrutiny
Shortly after Ahmad called out MTN Nigeria, the communications regulator, and the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the operator sent a breakdown of his data consumption for the date in question.
It shows the following:
- iCloud Storage: 19.68 GB
- Apple iCloud: 15 GB
- Encrypted App Traffic: 10 GB
- Google Services: 7 GB
- Instagram: 905.74 MB
- Snapchat: 800.85 MB
- Apple Software Upgrade: 732.80 MB
- Twitter: 609.07 MB
- App Store: 370.09 MB
- Facebook: 312.89 MB
Of particular concern is the iCloud storage and Apple iCloud, which account for a combined 34.68GB and encrypted app traffic of 10GB in 24 hours.
While iCloud syncs and backups mostly prioritise Wi-Fi, approx. 35GB sync over the cellular network in a single day while spending part of the day on home Wi-Fi. Since MTN’s data report and billing only track activity that goes through its cellular network, 35GB looks like someone actively forced a massive photo library upload over a 5G network.
Encrypted app traffic usually accounts for black-box features like Apple Private Relay, VPNs, or encrypted web sessions. Because MTN and a subscriber cannot see which app generated it, tagging 10GB consumption becomes a bone of contention, with the operator dumping it on the phone and the customer blaming the operator.
Was there really a data-reporting glitch?
The latest consumer complaints on X (formerly Twitter) between Tuesday, August 11 and Thursday, August 14 reveal something more interesting.
MTN’s daily data report initially supplied an inflated accumulation of data consumption for Tuesday, August 11, to customers before sending another report with the inscription “your corrected data usage for 11-08-2026…”
Bashir Ahmad’s complaint falls into this category, triggering suspicion that the operators’ system likely suffered a glitch that resulted in miscalculations and reporting errors.
In addition, critics claimed MTN’s system must have made a time frame error. In such a case, it generated a cumulative log, calculating usage of over 30 days or a full week, and attaching it to a 1-day report.
For subscribers, running a background check and comparing it with the operator’s report provides some clarity. Users can check the data usage recorded for the specific apps and services mentioned. This allows you to compare the usage information on your device with the figures provided by the service providers.
Also, checking the data balance to see if the glitch had an impact on the data balance deduction can clarify the stance.
Also Read: How MTN Y’ello Street traces Nigeria’s journey of digital transformation.
MTN’s statement on data depletion
The operator’s most recent attempt to clarify how data consumption works was the “Data on Trial” session it held in June. There, MTN maintained that there was no billing glitch or data theft and that its systems were subjected to external scrutiny by KPMG.
Karl Toriola, the Chief Executive Officer, explained that 4G/5G speeds and new smartphones and their default high-definition settings can increase data consumption for images, audio and video, which requires more data. He added that continuous cloud/WhatsApp background backups are the main drivers behind rapid bundle depletion.
The continuous internet penetration and demand for high-speed data make the scenario more complex.
Industry data for the first five months of 2026 shows a combined data usage of 6.6 million terabytes (TB), with May 2026 accounting for the highest at 1.5 million TB. Also, for the first half of the year, MTN and Airtel saw a combined ₦2.4 trillion from data revenue, powering growth in service revenue and profits.
The clarification on how data really works is still unknown. Even Toriola made that confession during the “Data on Trial” that some of its executives lodge data depletion complaints.
But as long as data usage tracking feels like a black box to the average subscriber, every technical glitch will spark outrage. Until telcos provide simple, verifiable and real-time proof of where every megabyte goes, the friction between operators and Nigerian consumers will continue.
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