Telecom Forum Tackles Data Billing, Network Quality And Consumer Rights

Telecommunications provider MTN Nigeria has detailed technological interventions designed to improve subscriber experience, enhance data billing transparency, and accurately diagnose network faults across the country.

Speaking at the 95th Telecom Consumers Parliament in Lagos, Winifred Umerah, General Manager of Customer Strategy Management and Insights at MTN Nigeria, stated that the operator has deployed dedicated data monitoring tools directly to consumers to address rapid data depletion concerns.

Noting that data consumption behaves differently from voice or SMS due to continuous background applications, Umerah explained, “Your phones have some things that can be used to hold us accountable. Check your own phone, check your phone’s data usage and compare what you have there with what we have put up. And then hold us accountable.” She explained that MTN’s app now provides a seven-day usage breakdown allowing users to track top data-consuming apps and verify network logs against their device settings, stating, “Trust should not be a buzzword, but we make sure that we are as transparent as possible.”

Addressing technical service diagnostic capabilities, Umerah clarified that operator visibility now extends beyond general coverage to distinguish actual handset limitations from base station output when complaints are logged. “Access does not translate to satisfactory usage,” Umerah explained. “When you call to lay complaints from your number, we are able to check whether it is as a result of your phone handset or device, or as a result of the transmission station.” Reaffirming the operator’s commitment to subscriber satisfaction, she noted that MTN would continue to drive digital accessibility and live up to its brand promise that every customer deserves the benefits of a modern connected world.

The parliamentary session also featured presentations from regulatory authorities and civil society advocates evaluating broader industry performance metrics. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, reported that over 75 million subscribers received airtime and service compensations in 2026 under the Consumer Compensation Framework, alongside 7,000 network interventions executed nationwide. “Compensation matters, but it cannot make up for losses of small jobs or an important conversation that was taking place,” Maida stated, adding that public coverage maps are now available on the NCC portal to offer independent, crowdsourced performance comparisons for consumers and businesses.

Representing consumer advocacy groups, Professor Chiso Ndukwu-Okafor, Executive Director of the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CAPPA), highlighted the importance of addressing subscriber needs across all network generations, noting that 36% of national subscriptions remain on 2G infrastructure. “36% of subscriptions are 2G. We need to be careful how we read these statistics,” Ndukwu-Okafor noted, urging operators and regulators to implement unified transaction reference numbers for failed financial transactions, simplify tariff summaries, and expand redress channels for disabled consumers. She emphasized that building consumer trust requires treating trust as actual infrastructure rather than a mere promotional slogan.

Closing the forum, the NCC reiterated the need for collaborative efforts between operators, security agencies, and local populations to protect critical telecom infrastructure from physical vandalism, which continues to impact network quality across distant locations. Maida urged subscribers facing persistent service issues to obtain formal reference numbers from their network providers before escalating unresolved cases through the regulator’s toll-free line 622 or official digital portals. “These everyday experiences should guide our discussions today because people want their phones to work, their charges to make sense, and someone to take responsibility when things go wrong,” Maida concluded.