Lagos-Calabar highway: Telcos fear shutdown as construction threatens cables – Punch Newspapers
FILE: Telecommunication signal
•Undersea fibre cables linking Europe to Nigeria pass through construction corridor – ALTON, ATCON
Barely 48 hours after Multichoice alerted subscribers to a three-day technical downtime, telecommunication companies have expressed concern over possible connectivity disruptions as construction advances on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
While the DStv and GOtv owner acknowledged the anticipated impact of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar construction project on their uplink facilities, telcos on Sunday expressed broader concerns emphasising the vital role of telecommunication service and the effect of possible anticipated technical disruption.
The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway corridor serves as a crucial landing point for multiple submarine cables connecting Nigeria to Europe
The cables, including the West Africa Cable System (WACS), MainOne, Glo1, ACE, and NCSCS, are vital for international communications and data transmission in the country.
The Federal Executive Council approved Phase One of the ambitious 700-km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project in February, entrusting the task to Hitech Construction Company Limited.
The highway project was designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through the coastal states of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom, before culminating in Cross River.
Meanwhile, the demolition of numerous properties and recreational centres in Lagos has been carried out to expedite the construction of the highway.
In light of the developments, telcos stressed the necessity of stakeholder consultations with the Ministry of Works to address potential risks and implement robust mitigation measures.
While dialogue with the Federal Government is yet to happen, telcos have warned Hitech Construction to exercise caution to prevent damage to critical national infrastructure.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Sunday, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, confirmed that the Ministry of Works had yet to engage the telcos on environmental impact assessment.
The ALTON chairman said the Ministry of Works, headed by David Umahi, had engaged some stakeholders but excluded the telecom operators.
“The Ministry of Works has not approached us, and I’m unsure if environmental impact assessments have been conducted. The route is crucial for the landing of numerous submarine cables, so caution is essential.
“Some members have reached out to them, urging caution. As the chairman of the industry, I can affirm that ALTON members were not consulted regarding the assessment of the undersea cable within that right of way,” he explained.
He noted that it would take at least 10 years to design the project and finish building, noting that the cost would be huge.
“So, it is not a simple thing to say, right? Let’s lay more cables because ultimately somebody has to pay that billion dollars, and eventually it is the end user. So, there has to be a commercial justification for spending that kind of money.
According to the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Tony Emoekpere, the ongoing construction work is yet to get close to the areas where the undersea cables and fibre cables are located.
However, he said it was crucial to recognise that all submarine cables to Lagos are situated along that coastal line.
“Discussions will ensure that the ongoing construction won’t affect them, with plans in place to prevent any disruption. Nobody will allow anything to happen without precautions.
“I spoke with someone this week who mentioned this. Concerns will naturally arise, and ongoing interactions will address them as the risk is significant. These are sensitive issues, and measures will be taken to ensure services aren’t disrupted along that line,” he added.
A few weeks ago, ALTON and ATCON jointly issued a statement expressing worries over wilful vandalism and theft as well as other challenges affecting the growth of the sector.
They requested the protection of assets and network infrastructure and urged the federal government to pass legislation that designates telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure.
Telecommunications infrastructure undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in national security and socioeconomic growth, especially as the country currently contends with multiple security challenges that require urgent and immediate actions in response to these threats.
“Attacks on cell towers, fibre optic cables, and other critical assets disrupt telecommunications services and result in significant financial losses for operators,” telcos lamented.
The telecom sector has been grappling with economic challenges that have significantly increased their operating costs, a situation that has dwindled appetite for investments.
Investment in the sector decreased by 70.5 per cent to $134m in 2023 from $456.8m in the corresponding year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Last week, the ALTON chairman mentioned that telcos were becoming reluctant to invest more in infrastructure as they continued to contend with a tough economic environment.
Adebayo stated, “If you don’t invest in a sector, you can’t talk about quality of service; you can’t talk about right pricing. The government must help, and the time is now.”
It added, “We’re relocating our uplink facility due to the Lagos-Calabar coastal road construction. This means you might experience some technical downtime. Thank you for bearing with us during this transition.’’
The company assured that it would soon restore its services better than ever.
However, despite the proactive statement, some customers took to social media to express concerns and demand compensation from the operator.
Adeoye Oluwafemi stated, “I hope the three days offline will be added back to our subscription. There should be no cheating this time around.’
Stemeldamak said, ‘I hope you people will deduct the money for this technical downtime from the payment already made.
Victor inquired, “How will you people compensate for the loss during this period of interruption? This is because you’ve never left one day for a subscriber after the subscription elapses.’
Obajimiolaleka commented, “This ought to be done during the week, knowing fully well that weekends are full of activities such as football matches.”
