The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida has disclosed that telecom operators in the country experienced more than 50,000 fibre cuts in 2024.
He further added that about 30,000 which represents 60% of the fibre cuts incidences were happened during construction and rehabilitation of roads across the country.
The EVC stated this during recently at the constitution of a standing joint committee to tackle fibre optic cuts during road construction and rehabilition as ensure adequate protection of the telecom infrastructure.
The joint committee, formed by the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE), was inaugurated on Tuesday 18th February at the Boardroom of the FMoW, by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, and his counterpart at the FMoCIDE, Engr Farouk Yusuf, with the attendance of the EVC of NCC.
They noted that as fibre cuts have had a significant negative impact on telecommunications services across Nigeria.
Tasks of the Committee
The main assignment of the joint Standing Committee is to establish and maintain clear communication/co-ordination channels between the two ministries and the NCC in order to limit and prevent damage to Telecommunications Fiber Optic cables during road constructions or rehabilitation activities.
Engr. Adebiyi, while inaugurating the Committee, directed it to establish modalities to ensure the reduction of damage to deployed fiber optic cables resulting from road construction and maintenance activities, as well as vandalism which has caused severe incidences of service disruption across the country.
He said the Committee will serve as a coordinating body for all issues pertaining to the protection of fiber optic cables, before, during and after the completion of road constructions or maintenance activities, and will meet on a regular basis to discuss identified problems, agree on industry-wide solutions, set standard engagement processes and procedures, as well as share monthly performance reports.
“They are also expected to develop an instant communication mechanism to facilitate prompt communication and dissemination of information amongst all stakeholders,” he said.
He assured that going forward, the Ministry will ensure that the placement of fiber cables will be considered in the planning, design and construction of the country’s road networks, and would include providing for ducts during constructions.
Engr. Adebiyi further stated that the committee will work closely with all Federal Controllers of Works (FCW) to give attention to the task of protecting this sensitive infrastructure during the planning and implementation stages of projects across the roads in the country, while aligning with the telecom operators on all ongoing and future projects.
Significance of Fibre Optic Infrastructure
Engr. Farouk Yusuf, in his remarks, highlighted the significance of fiber optics cables to the country’s economy, stating that fiber networks are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, enabling the seamless delivery of both fixed and mobile broadband services essential for nationwide connectivity, economic growth, and technological innovation.
He noted that the Committee’s work is crucial to ensuring that telecommunication services are not hampered by the work of construction companies.
Meanwhile, the EVC of NCC, Dr. Maida also emphasized the significance of the Committee’s mandate, noting that it has the potential to significantly reduce service disruptions across Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
He said: “This is a pivotal moment for the telecommunication industry and its customers. Fiber networks are the foundation of Nigeria’s broadband ecosystem, providing the essential high-capacity backhaul required to deliver ultra-fast 4G and 5G speeds, as these next-generation mobile technologies rely on fiber infrastructure to ensure low latency, high reliability, and seamless data transmission.
“Last year, we experienced over 50,000 fiber cuts incidents across the country of which around 30,000 were attributed to Federal and State Road construction activities. In the extreme, some of these incidents had led to major network outages like the February 2024 nationwide MTN network outage.”
He added that a key contributor to the increasing number of fiber cuts attributed to road construction activities is the lack of an efficient handshake mechanism between road construction companies and operators of the fiber infrastructure.
“I am optimistic that the work of this Committee will lead to a significant reduction in fiber cuts attributed to road construction which would then reduce network outages, avoid unnecessary expenditure on repair works and reduce the need to put redundant routes in place to serve as alternatives whenever there are outages due to fiber cuts.
“This initiative is not just for the benefit of the telecommunications industry but for all Nigerians. Every time a fiber cut occurs, consumers experience service disruptions. The industry is forced to invest in costly redundancy measures, but if we can prevent these avoidable disruptions, operators can redirect resources towards network expansion and infrastructure improvement,” Maida stated.
