Nigeria's telecommunications industry has 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.
The appeal came during a forum hosted by the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria in Lagos, where industry representatives argued that reducing the cost of fibre deployment is critical to extending broadband coverage and supporting economic growth driven by digital services.
A key issue discussed was the uneven implementation of RoW policies across Nigeria.
While 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, participants said inconsistent application of the policy continues to increase deployment costs and slow network rollout.
Executive vice chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, said fibre infrastructure underpins Nigeria's digital economy and should be regarded as essential national infrastructure rather than solely a commercial investment.
Maida said the Federal Government's Project BRIDGE is intended to extend fibre connectivity by a further 90 000 kilometres across all 774 local government areas, improving broadband coverage and strengthening network resilience.
He added that safeguarding telecoms infrastructure will be crucial if the programme is to achieve its objectives.
The scale of the challenge was reflected in NCC data showing 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.
Industry participants said such incidents continue to disrupt services, increase operating costs and discourage investment in network expansion.
Adetola Akinmade, chief technology officer of FiberOne, called for the establishment of a national Digital Utility Corridor that would allow fibre to be installed alongside road, electricity and water infrastructure.
He said such an approach would reduce repeated excavation, lower deployment costs and improve coordination between infrastructure projects.
The forum also heard calls for greater infrastructure sharing, standardised ducting systems and stronger enforcement of Critical National Information Infrastructure protections.
Participants said these measures would help reduce rollout costs, improve network resilience and support Nigeria's broadband expansion goals.
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