By Wabusimba Amiri
In many underdeveloped nations, access to affordable communication is considered a necessity rather than a luxury.
Mobile phones have become lifelines for business, social interactions, and even romance. Yet, while telecom companies promote affordable packages, the reality is that millions of people unknowingly spend a significant portion of their income on airtime and data, especially during late-night hours.
From the bustling streets of Kampala to the rural villages of Malawi, a hidden economy thrives after dark an economy fueled by long-distance lovers, late-night gossip, transactional engagements, and, more recently, digital entertainment.
Telecom companies, well aware of these human tendencies, have positioned themselves to maximize revenue from what I call the Midnight Airtime Drain.
In underdeveloped state like Uganda, the need to communicate is urgent and constant with businesses using daytime hours for transactional conversations, personal calls peak at night when people are unwinding from the day’s struggles.
With poor infrastructure limiting in-person interactions, mobile phones become the primary bridge between families, couples, and business associates.
Romantic calls and social conversations dominate nighttime communication as Single men and women, often unable to meet physically due to work, financial constraints, or cultural/religious restrictions, resort to long phone calls to maintain their relationships.
Many spend hours talking to their significant others, catching up with distant relatives, or engaging in private, intimate conversations. In some cases, these calls lead to plans for sleepovers or rendezvous, increasing the time spent on calls.
While formal businesses operate during the day, informal traders, especially those in transport such as boda boda riders and taxi operators, rely on nighttime communication for orders, logistics, and planning.
Rural farmers call middlemen late at night to confirm market prices and negotiate sales for the following day.
The rise of mobile money has further deepened this economy, as people use calls and data to finalize transactions even in the middle of the night.
The shift from traditional entertainment to digital platforms has further fueled nighttime data consumption.
TikTok has emerged as the game-changer, overtaking YouTube as the primary source of entertainment, especially among youth in underdeveloped regions.
With short, addictive videos that require continuous scrolling, TikTok exploits the human tendency to seek instant gratification. Unlike YouTube, which allows passive watching of long videos, TikTok demands active engagement, leading users to consume more data as they keep scrolling.
However, Ugandans are increasingly frustrated by how fast their data depletes, despite purchasing what they believe to be affordable bundles. Complaints about rapid data exhaustion have surged, yet no regulatory authority has stepped in to investigate or hold telecom companies accountable.
These frustrations by thousands of Ugandans who frequently ask: Why does my data disappear so fast?
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has acknowledged the issue, but urged consumers to formally complain to their telecom providers and request detailed data usage audits.
Despite these calls for transparency, telecom giants have continued to thrive on consumer frustration, offering little to no explanation for the rapid depletion of data.
Telecom companies have mastered consumer behavior in underdeveloped markets, creating pricing models that extract maximum revenue while appearing affordable.
Many telecom providers in Africa offer night bundles with seemingly low-cost airtime or data.
However, these bundles come with conditions limited validity, auto-renewal traps, and specific usage windows between midnight and dawn.
Users who think they are getting a bargain end up overspending because they stay on calls or browse social media longer than necessary. Beyond pricing tricks, Ugandan telecom users have raised concerns about the integrity of data consumption rates.
Telecom companies strategically ensure that automatic notifications of bundle expiry are delayed, keeping users talking and scrolling.
Love, loneliness, and digital addiction drive nighttime data usage making Advertising campaigns subtly promote the idea that staying connected with loved ones and trending online is worth the cost, reinforcing prolonged call habits and endless social media scrolling.
A boda boda rider who earns fifteen thousand shillings daily may spend three thousand shillings on nighttime calls and TikTok videos, unknowingly sacrificing basic needs.
Over a month, this adds up to ninety thousand shillings money that could be used for school fees, savings, or reinvesting in business. Similarly, many small traders unknowingly deplete their working capital on airtime and data, thinking they are making profitable deals when, in reality, they are sustaining telecom profits.
Uganda’s regulatory bodies need to take a stronger stance on protecting consumers from exploitative data pricing.
There is an urgent need for independent audits of data consumption rates and stricter enforcement of transparency from telecom companies.
Consumers should also demand accountability, question unclear data policies, and push for better regulatory oversight.
Monitoring airtime usage, using free communication apps, setting limits on social media browsing, and resisting the urge to call late at night unless necessary can significantly reduce unnecessary expenses.
In the grand scheme of things, telecom companies remain the biggest winners in the nighttime economy.
As millions of people engage in late-night conversations and social media addiction, unaware of the financial impact, billions of shillings flow into corporate accounts.
The question remains: Are we paying too much for emotional connectivity and digital entertainment, or is it time to demand a fairer telecom industry?
Amiri Wabusimba is a diplomatic Scholar, Journalist, political analyst and Human Right activist. Tel: +56775103895 email: Wabusimbaa@gmail.com.
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