According to MyJoyOnline, a Ghanaian online news portal, Stephen Blewett, the CEO of MTN Ghana, has denied claims that the telecom provider steals consumer data, a recurring grievance he claims he has encountered in every market during his career.
His remarks coincide with a surge of similar worries in Nigeria, where customers are accusing rival operators and the nation’s biggest telco—which has more than 80 million users—of unjustly consuming their data.
Customers reportedly bombarded the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission with emails and messages calling for an investigation into mysterious data usage.
Operators that discussed the issue denied any system to syphon data, attributing the higher usage to the transition from 3G and 4G networks to 5G networks as well as greater video streaming.
At MTN House in Accra, Blewett addressed the widespread belief that data vanishes due to deliberate tampering.
“I’ve heard ‘You’re stealing my data’ in every country I’ve worked—not just at MTN,” he said, reflecting on his long industry tenure, adding, “I swear to God as my witness: we have no reason to steal your data.”
Blewett argued that there’s no financial incentive for such actions, noting his bonus depends on declared revenue.
“If I steal data, I can’t report it—I’d lose my bonus,” he said, seeking to dispel notions of profit-driven manipulation by MTN or its peers.
He attributed rapid data depletion to enhanced networks, not foul play.
“A better network speeds up data use,” he explained.
“YouTube switches to higher resolution on stronger signals—it’s like Pac-Man eating your data. We don’t control that,” he added.
Blewett emphasised MTN’s supervision procedures in order to foster trust. “Billing errors would fail our financials. we’re independently audited,” he stated, adding that an internal revenue assurance team continuously looks for inconsistencies to guarantee accuracy and compliance.
“We don’t want revenue leaks or incorrect billing,” he stressed, underscoring MTN’s commitment to transparency amid customer frustration over vanishing data.
