Nigeria's telecom operators recorded 155 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, highlighting growing vulnerability in the country's broadband infrastructure despite rising internet adoption and continued investment in network expansion.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria's Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption. At the same time, road construction activities continue to damage fibre networks and disrupt connectivity.
Infrastructure degradation, cable and converter faults, and road construction accounted for more than 84 000 fibre cuts, highlighting ongoing maintenance challenges and coordination gaps between telecom operators and infrastructure agencies.
Beyond fibre damage, operators recorded 675 equipment thefts and 4 319 cases where access to base stations was denied, with insecurity responsible for nearly three-quarters of disruptions.
The incidents continue to affect network reliability, disrupting voice services, internet access and digital transactions for millions of subscribers.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres. However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Share
