Optical & Fixed Networks

RoW issues and vandalism still affecting Nigerian fibre rollout

RoW issues and vandalism still affecting Nigerian fibre rollout

Underlining the continuing difficulties faced by telecoms companies in extending broadband rollout is news of complaints from a recent forum hosted by the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria in Lagos.

At the forum representatives of Nigeria's telecommunications industry urged state governments to lower the cost of deploying fibre optic infrastructure, warning that high right-of-way (RoW) charges, infrastructure vandalism and fragmented regulatory processes are delaying broadband expansion and undermining the country's digital transformation ambitions.

As the ITWeb Africa news service points out, industry participants at the forum said such incidents continue to disrupt services, increase operating costs and discourage investment in network expansion. At the same time, they argued, reducing the cost of fibre deployment is critical to extending broadband coverage and supporting economic growth driven by digital services.

As for RoW policies across Nigeria, some 13 states have scrapped RoW charges and 16 others have adopted the National Economic Council's recommended fee of N145 (about $0.09) per linear metre. However, application of the policy remains inconsistent.

Meanwhile, data from regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that the telecoms sector recorded more than 27,685 fibre cuts, over 27,000 access denial incidents and 4,210 theft cases between January and December 2025.

Adetola Akinmade, chief technology officer of FiberOne, a pioneer of fibre broadband delivery in Nigeria, offering internet access to thousands of homes and businesses, called for the establishment of what he called a national Digital Utility Corridor that would allow fibre to be installed alongside road, electricity and water infrastructure.

The forum also heard calls for greater infrastructure sharing, standardised ducting systems and stronger enforcement of critical national information infrastructure protections.

These issues may even impact a major government project, something executive vice chairman and CEO of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, seems to have acknowledged.

He said the government's Project BRIDGE is intended to extend fibre connectivity by a further 90,000 kilometres across all 774 local government areas. He added that safeguarding telecoms infrastructure will be crucial if the programme is to achieve its objectives.



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