Last Saturday, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola claimed that there is no unlimited data on mobile networks anywhere in the world.
He spoke at a press event titled “Data on Trial” in Lagos where he defended his company against subscriber complaints about quick data depletion and pricing.
EDITOR’S PICKS
“The issue of unlimited data on mobile networks, it does not exist anywhere in the world, except you are paying $400 a month or whatever,” he said. “There is a limit, because you can never build enough capacity for everyone to be on an unlimited bundle and you think you will provide quality service that will be decent.”
The claim provoked immediate backlash. EKO HOT BLOG examines the evidence.
What the Global Market Shows
Toriola’s $400 benchmark does not reflect reality in any major market.
In the United States (US), T-Mobile’s Experience More plan offers truly unlimited premium data that doesn’t slow down regardless of how much data is used. It starts at $85 per month for a single line. Budget carriers go considerably lower: Mint Mobile’s unlimited 5G plan is available for $15 per month with prepay options, and AT&T Prepaid’s unlimited plan is available for $25 per month online for new customers.
In the United Kingdom (UK), iD Mobile offers an unlimited data SIM-only plan for £16 per month, roughly $21, on a 24-month contract.
India presents the most striking contrast. Reliance Jio’s monthly plan at ₹500, approximately $6, includes unlimited 5G data, 28 days validity, and access to 13 OTT streaming apps.
The $400 threshold Toriola cited is not a market rate. It does not exist as a reference point in any of the world’s top mobile markets.
Several Nigerians living abroad were also quick to dispute the MTN’s boss’s claim and point out that they buy truly unlimited plans are relatively cheaper rates in their countries of residence.
In India, you could get unlimited data on Jio network for as cheap as $5 (~N7000)
In Nigeria, that same amount $5 (~N7000) will get me only about 20gb of data on MTN.
Do these people take us for fools? https://t.co/M2KVXx6LHg
— naza (@perfectwrights) June 7, 2026
You bloody liar!!!
These corporate criminal enterprises give Nigerians the worst services and tell them it’s the best possible service they are worthy of!!
Today is June 6 and I’ve already used 523GB.
I have 33 devices connected for me and my entire family.
I pay just $99 a… https://t.co/bI8kWU1XBT pic.twitter.com/ktGVVOboQx
— J.I (@Justice_Israell) June 6, 2026
My Google Fi is unlimited
My Verizon is unlimited
My Vodafone is Unlimited
My Starlink Residential is Unlimited. https://t.co/pBv6TWg0wv
— Oluebubechukwu Johnpaul the unrivalled (@shakazulu_T) June 7, 2026
There’s unlimited broadband In most uk homes, unlimited mobile plans too. https://t.co/HLv3jWf9Dh
— Gerry STX (@OsemudiamenOG) June 7, 2026
MTN’s own products complicate the argument
There is a further problem with Toriola’s framing: his own company sells unlimited data in Nigeria.
MTN’s website for its FibreX home broadband service, for example, explicitly advertises “truly Unlimited Broadband plans” with no speed throttling, at speeds ranging from 20Mbps to 1Gbps. The company’s FAQ goes further: “Our Unlimited FibreX plans do not have a fair usage policy. You can use as much data as you need without any restrictions on speed or usage.”
The distinction Toriola drew — and on which his argument technically rests — is between mobile networks and fixed fibre infrastructure. His full quote specified “mobile networks,” and it is true that fixed fibre broadband operates on fundamentally different infrastructure with greater capacity per user. That distinction is technically legitimate.
However, it does not rescue the $400 claim, which he applied to mobile data globally without qualification, and which the evidence flatly contradicts.
Where the MTN CEO has a point
Stripped of the exaggeration, Toriola’s underlying argument has merit. Most “unlimited” mobile plans come with a daily high-speed data limit, and the unlimited label often has terms and conditions that can effectively restrict heavy users.
In practice, only a few carriers offer truly unlimited mobile data without any throttling — such as Verizon and T-Mobile in the US — while most others provide high-speed data up to a threshold and then slower speeds thereafter. Network capacity is a real constraint, and fair usage policies are an industry-wide practice.
The problem is not the technical observation. It is the sweeping, inaccurate claim built around it.
FURTHER READING
Claim: Unlimited mobile data does not exist anywhere in the world unless subscribers pay something approaching $400 a month?
Verdict: FALSE
Toriola’s specific claim — that unlimited mobile data does not exist anywhere in the world unless subscribers pay something approaching $400 a month — is false. Unlimited or effectively unlimited mobile data plans exist in the US, the UK, India, and across much of the world at prices ranging from $6 to $90 per month. His narrower technical point, that fixed fibre networks can support unlimited plans more easily than mobile networks, is valid, but MTN’s own FibreX service already offers exactly that in Nigeria, undermining the thrust of his broader argument. The $400 figure appears to have no factual basis.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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