The damages caused by construction companies on fibre optic infrastructures have become a source of concern for telecommunication companies.
This has led to the federal government declaring the issues as an emergency.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said an emergency committee has been set up to tackle the destruction of fibre broadband by construction companies.
According to the NCC, the joint committee is made up of the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW), the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE).
The committee, Joint Standing Committee on the Protection of Fiber Optic Cables have the mandate to protect infrastructure, according to the NCC.
The joint committee was inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, and his counterpart at the FMoCIDE, Engr Farouk Yusuf, with the attendance of the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida.
The NCC said the committee will 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.
“They are also expected to develop an instant communication mechanism to facilitate prompt communication and dissemination of information amongst all stakeholders,” Adebiyi said.
Similarly, Yusuf highlighted the significance of fiber optics cables to the country’s economy.
He said fiber networks are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, in his remark said, “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.
“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.”