AGENCIES, TELCOS TACKLE 27,000 FIBRE CABLE CUTS

Regulatory agencies and telecommunications operators have intensified efforts to address the alarming rate of fibre optic cable cuts across Nigeria, with over 27,000 incidents recorded in the last 18 months, disrupting services and causing significant economic losses.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) on Friday convened an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to review the crisis and implement strategic solutions. The meeting highlighted vandalism, construction activities, and poor coordination as major causes of the widespread damage to critical digital infrastructure.

NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, described the situation as “unacceptable” and a threat to national digital economy goals. “Fibre cuts are not just inconveniences; they affect businesses, government operations, and citizens’ daily lives. We must treat this as a national security and economic priority,” Maida stated.

ALTON Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, revealed that operators lose billions of naira annually due to service downtime and repair costs. He called for stricter enforcement of the Infrastructure Sharing and Colocation Guidelines, mandatory notification before excavation works, and deployment of advanced cable protection technologies.

The stakeholders resolved to establish a National Fibre Protection Task Force involving relevant government agencies, security operatives, and telcos. The task force will focus on real-time monitoring, rapid response to incidents, public awareness campaigns, and prosecution of vandals.

Participants also advocated for the inclusion of fibre infrastructure protection in the reviewed National Broadband Plan and stronger collaboration with state governments to regulate digging activities.

Telecom experts believe that addressing the fibre cuts will significantly improve service quality, accelerate broadband penetration, and support the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda.

As Nigeria pushes to connect more citizens and businesses online, stakeholders emphasised the need for collective responsibility to safeguard critical national assets. The NCC assured that deliberate and sustained actions will be taken to reduce cable cuts to the barest minimum in the coming months.