MTN Nigeria CEO, Karl Toriola, has said that providing unlimited mobile data at a low cost is not possible because it would affect the quality of network services.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Saturday, Toriola said no mobile operator in the world can offer truly unlimited data at cheap rates while maintaining a reliable network.
According to him, most so-called unlimited plans have usage limits or fair-use policies, while genuine unlimited plans are usually very expensive.
He explained that telecom operators cannot build enough network capacity to support every customer using unlimited data at the same time.
“The idea of unlimited data on mobile networks does not really exist unless customers are paying very high prices. There is always a limit or fair-use policy,” he said.
Toriola compared the situation to the airline industry, saying airlines would not survive if they offered unlimited flights at very low prices.
He added that offering cheap unlimited data would make it difficult for telecom companies to invest in network infrastructure, leading to poor service quality.
Meanwhile, MTN recently launched an initiative called “Data on Trial” to address customer complaints about data usage and billing.
The programme allows customers to better understand how data is consumed on the MTN network and to raise concerns directly with the company’s technical team.
MTN’s Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, Tobe Okigbo, said the initiative is aimed at determining whether complaints are caused by technical issues, customer misunderstandings, or a lack of knowledge about how data is used.
