MTN Nigeria, the largest telecom company in the country, has spent a whopping 11.1 billion Naira over the past two years to repair and move around a large network of fibre-optic cables. These cables are essential for providing internet and communication services. Recent data from the GSMA Nigeria Digital Economy report shows that this money was used to fix 2,502 kilometers of fibre cables that had been damaged.
The report adds that if MTN had instead used that money to expand their network, they could have added 870 kilometers of new fibre cables. In 2022, MTN spent 4.4 billion Naira to repair 1,069 kilometers of fibre cables, and in 2023, they spent 6.7 billion Naira to fix an additional 1,433 kilometers. The damages to these cables are mainly caused by construction work, road projects, and acts of vandalism.
The ongoing issue of damaged fibre cables is making it difficult for telecom companies to grow their networks and reach areas that lack good connectivity. Instead of using funds to improve services in underserved regions, much of the budget is being spent on repairs. The report highlights that building and maintaining fibre networks in Nigeria is becoming a lot more expensive due to these issues. For instance, MTN had to relocate a considerable length of fibre cables in both the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years due to these damages.
Angela Wamola, who is the head of GSMA for Sub-Saharan Africa, mentioned in a recent media call that vandalism and other damages are causing significant losses in the telecom sector. Although some damage can be repaired quickly, it still leads to ongoing complaints from customers about service availability. This situation has been a focal point in their report as it emphasizes how vandalism is affecting connectivity in Nigeria.
Fibre-optic cables are a crucial part of telecom infrastructure because they help provide better network capacity to users. As of 2023, Nigeria has deployed about 78,676 kilometers of these fibre cables, with most of them found in urban areas like Lagos, Edo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
To tackle the persistent problems with cable damage, telecom companies are trying to come up with new strategies. This includes planning ahead by designing stronger cable systems and boosting their budgets for maintenance, which ultimately increases the overall cost of building telecom infrastructure in Nigeria.
In August, the Nigerian government issued an official order aimed at protecting critical telecom infrastructure, such as fibre cables and telecom towers. If this order becomes a law, those who intentionally damage these facilities could face legal penalties. The intention behind this legislation is to protect the telecom infrastructure and ease the financial burden on companies like MTN. However, the bill is still under consideration.
With the rising costs of maintaining these fibre networks, experts in the industry are cautioning that delays in enforcing protective measures could hinder the growth of broadband across Nigeria, negatively impacting both businesses and consumers who rely on dependable internet services.
