The Deputy Director, NCC, Head Consumer and Education, Mrs. Mistura Aruwa, has called for greater consumer awareness of how mobile applications and modern devices use data, noting that multiple services can operate simultaneously and contribute to rapid data consumption.
Aruwa spoke during the National Civil Society Dialogue on Telecommunications and Data Service Provision in Nigeria, where participants raised concerns over data costs, consumption patterns and telecommunications service delivery.
She emphasised the importance of educating consumers about the various factors that can affect their data usage, particularly as smartphones have evolved into multifunctional devices.
According to Aruwa, applications used for banking, entertainment, communication and browsing can consume data simultaneously.
She specifically highlighted the use of banking applications, Netflix, websites and other services as examples of platforms that may contribute to increased data consumption.
Aruwa explained that modern mobile devices are designed to perform several functions at the same time, meaning that applications and services may continue consuming data in the background even when users are not actively interacting with them.
She therefore stressed the need for consumers to understand how their devices and applications operate and to monitor their data usage more closely.
The NCC official’s remarks formed part of the broader discussion at the dialogue, which focused on improving consumer protection, network availability, telecommunications infrastructure and access to affordable and reliable data services.
The event also brought together civil society organisations and government representatives who called for stronger accountability within the telecommunications sector and greater investment to expand coverage.
Stakeholders maintained that as telecommunications becomes increasingly central to education, agriculture, healthcare, business and everyday communication, consumers must be equipped with adequate information to make informed decisions about their data usage.
