It’s no secret that mobile networks in Africa are vastly unreliable. Ever so often, Africans complain about the alarming data prices and fickle network connectivity in the country which leaves many unable to access basic Internet services and social media platforms. According to Tech Cabal, as at December 2017, internet penetration in Africa was at 35%, which is lower than the 54% world average.

Although this number has been growing for the past five years, data costs are still relatively high in many African cities. This year alone, Nigeria ranked as one of the top 5 countries in Africa with the highest data costs, with $0.61 as their respective prices for 1GB. Due to the shift away from traditional calls and the rise of social media and telecommunication apps, Nigerian telecom companies are diversifying quickly to mobile data plans to offset the decline in voice revenue.

According to reports, mobile Internet subscribers in Nigeria has increased from 64.1 million in January 2014 to 128.4 million in January 2020. Earlier in the year, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) disclosed that it will be implementing a proposed 5% tax on voice calls, mobile data and text messages to tackle a mounting fiscal crisis.

The announcement did not say when collections of the levy, which is in addition to a 7.5% value-added tax on calls and data, will begin. However, the impending rise has not been favourable to Nigerians who are already reeling from inflating prices in food stuffs, fuel prices, and more. The spike in data prices continues to particularly affect young Nigerians, who are now spending more time at home due to the rise of remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is still a long way to go for telecoms networks in one of Africa’s most populous nations. Nigeria’s telecoms industry is still in its infancy, as it was run and regulated by the country’s government for a very long time. Now, that private players such as MTN, Airtel and more, continue to grow and develop around the country, many local users are turning their attention to the network providers to redress the problem and provide them their money’s worth. As such, we spoke to a number of young Nigerians about their mobile network providers, their monthly consumption of data and how they plan to manage the extortionate costs.

MOJI (20)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

I use Glo and I use about N10,000 a week.

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Yes I have, it’s so bad.

How has this affected you and now how do you manage your data?

It has really affected me because funds are really tight, so I’ll have to manage the way I use my data to reduce the way I buy data. I always have to sacrifice some apps and even with that, I don’t still see much difference. I thought to switch to another network but I’m not sure if this will make any difference as a lot of people are making the same complains.

MOREWA (24)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

About 24GB per month.

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Yes.

How has this affected you and now how do you manage your data?

Well, I now spend more on data and end up using money I want to use for other things, to buy data. As a student who lives off an allowance I try not to go on social media apps like Instagram and TikTok unless I need to. Mindless scrolling is what consumes a lot of data. Also switching from LTE to 3G which can be frustrating but at least I’ll spend less.

AMAKA (22)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

MTN and I use 50GB for two weeks plus.

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Well, they scrapped the cheaper data options so, yes.

How has this affected you and now how do you manage your data?

My university is online, so most of the work I do requires using cellular data. I’ve been in an exam before and my data finished and I had bought 50GB just 4 days before that exam. I had to switch to Swift Mifi modem which has been working really well for me, and now I only buy a bit of data because it’s not even worth it anymore.

Average cost of 1GB of mobile data (in US$)

🇮🇳India: 0.26
🇷🇺Russia: 0.91
🇲🇾Malaysia: 1.18
🇵🇰Pakistan: 1.85
🇳🇬Nigeria: 2.22
🇧🇷Brazil: 3.50
🇪🇸Spain: 3.79
🇬🇧UK: 6.66
🇩🇪Germany: 6.96
🇨🇳China: 9.89
🇨🇦Canada: 12.02
🇺🇸US: 12.37
🇰🇷S Korea: 15.12
🇨🇭Switzerland: 20.22

(Cablecouk, 2019)

— World Index (@theworldindex) September 12, 2019

CHIOMA (21)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

MTN N5,000 per week 

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Yes, I have.

How has this affected you and now how do you manage your data?

I switched to Mifi because the data attainable for a lower price is more durable than on a mobile phone and I’ve noticed that it lasts longer. 

ZION (23)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

MTN N6,000 50GB.

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Yes, I have.

How has this affected you and now how do you manage your data?

N6,000 for 50GB doesn’t last up to a week, so imagine spending N12,000 every 3 days. It’s a lot of money for a minimum wage earner. I use an iPhone so I switch off cellular data for most of my apps except Whatsapp which is what I use often.

ARIKE (25)

What telecom network provider do you use and how much data do you use in a week/month?

I use MTN and typically purchase N1,500 6GB.

Have you noticed an increase in data consumption?

Yes, I have.

How has this affected you and now, how do you manage your data?

It’s not cost effective for me because now I spend about N5,000 for more data and it still doesn’t last for a long time. I don’t use TikTok as much as I want to anymore and I have to cut down on my data usage. This iPhone limit app has also helped me control how I use data nowadays.

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