INTERNET DATA STRUGGLES - MY EXPERIENCE AS A NIGERIAN

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When would data stop being a problem for me as a Nigerian?

Nigerians are facing a lot of issues, especially when it comes to data. If you are not that rich to afford a yearly plan twice on your line, then you may also have issues with subscribing to internet plans in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, we have 4 main network providers, which are MTN, GLO, AIRTEL, and ETISALAT. Aside from these, maybe you are getting a cable network or fibre optics network, which may probably offer a cheaper alternative, but the cost of equipment might be quite high, with the possibility that the network provider may not have service at your location or any location you later find yourself in the future.

From the networks earlier listed, MTN seems to be the one that offers the cheapest data plan as of now, but the catch is that it is not available for all numbers. They disable and enable it at certain periods on people's numbers.

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MY EXPERIENCE

For some time, I have been using the MTN 5G Router because of the speed it offers. My reason for buying this router was because of the internet problems I face at school. The 4G coverage was congested, which means that the internet became slow, so I wanted to opt out of it and tune into something less congested and faster, hence my reason for buying a 5G router.

It turns out that there was not an Unlimited Plan for the 5G Router, and the plan available was not something that was beneficial. After subscribing for a few months and noticing I spend up to $30 a month on data subscriptions, I packed up my router because that money was not at my convenience at all. I was spending about $30 for 300GB.

The 5G router consumed my data faster than my 4G network, and I was happy to go back to using my 4G network instead of a 5G.

I had to save myself before 5G Network wrecked me

Thank goodness, the semester came to an end, which means that students went back home and the 4G coverage became less congested. I was able to go back using $11 for 80GB, and the usage was very much enough for one month.

This morning was when my data expired, and before it did, I had been waiting for this day to come before I subscribed. Yesterday, I decided to subscribe to another plan but figured that they had removed my access to it. I was grateful that I had not recharged my line with $11 before checking, or else it would have been very painful.

I became totally confused about what data plan to opt for and could not find a suitable plan that I could make use of. Then I saw $5 for 30GB on the mobile app. Although it was more expensive, I thought of giving it a try. Then I loaded $5 into my mobile network and clicked the button to subscribe. This was when I got a shocking prompt message saying below:

I was pained seeing this after loading $5 in my account, and now it says not eligible. I ended up subscribing to a weekly data plan of 10GB for $1.8. Now my SIM card is left with extra funds in it. The most painful part of this data plan is that it cannot be shared with others. I have been trying to send data to my other MTN lines, but it is not going and instead is telling me I have an insufficient data plan.

So tell me, are you facing any issues concerning the internet or the subscription plan? How do you subscribe to the internet, and how convenient is it to do so?

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