FG sets the mixed committee to address the damage of fiber optics in Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Works (FMOW) and the Federal Ministry of Digital Communications, Innovation and Economy (FMOCIDE) have formed a permanent common committee for the protection of fiber optical cables to address the recurring problem of fiber optics caused by the construction of roads and construction rehabilitation activities.

These disturbances had a serious impact on the telecommunications services in Nigeria, which led to the interruptions of widespread services and economic losses.

According to a statement published Monday by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the common committee was permanently inaugurated in the Council Hall of FMOW by the Permanent Secretary of FMOW, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi and his counterpart at FMOCID, Engr. Farouk Yusuf.

The mandate of the committee

The main mandate of the committee is to establish and maintain effective communication and coordination channels between FMOW, FMOCIDE and NCC to prevent and minimize the damage of fiber optical cables during road construction and rehabilitation activities.

During the inauguration, Engr. Adebiyi has guided the committee to develop strategies to reduce damage to fiber optic cables caused by road construction, maintenance activities and vandalism.
He stressed that the committee will serve as a coordination body for all problems related to optical optical cable protection before, during and after road construction projects.
The committee is expected to meet regularly to solve the challenges identified, to agree to solutions throughout the industry, to establish standard involvement processes and to share monthly performance reports.

In addition, it will create an instant communication mechanism to facilitate the exchange of information promptly between the interested parties.

Prioritizing the fiber cable

Ing. Adebiyi has assured that FMOW will give priority to placing fiber optic cables in the planning, design and construction of road networks.

This includes incorporation of pipes during road construction to protect the fiber infrastructure.
He also stated that the Committee will collaborate closely with federal work controllers (FCW) to ensure the protection of fiber optic cables during the planning and execution of road projects at national level.
Ing. Farouk Yusuf highlighted the critical role of fiber optic cables in the digital economy of Nigeria, describing as the spine of the nation’s broad band ecosystem.

He mentioned that fiber networks allow the perfect delivery of broad and mobile band services, which are essential for connectivity, economic growth and technological innovation.

Fiber cuts

Soring the importance of the mandate of the committee, EVC/CEO of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, revealed that, in 2023, over 50,000 fiber cutting were registered, with about 30,000 attributed to federal and state road construction.

According to him, these incidents led to significant network interruptions, including MTN interruption in February 2024.
Dr. Maida attributed the increasing number of fiber reductions to the lack of effective coordination between road construction companies and fiber infrastructure operators.
He expressed the optimism that the activity of the committee would lead to a significant reduction in fiber reductions, would minimize network interruptions and reduce the need for costly repair and redundant routes.

“This is an essential moment for the telecommunications industry and its customers. Fiber networks are the foundation of the Nigeria broadband ecosystem, providing a high capacity essential backha to provide ultra-fast 4G and 5G speeds, as these future generation mobile technologies are based on fiber infrastructure to ensure low latency , high reliability and perfect data without problems transmission, “ he said.

What should you know

Fiber discounts were a major challenge for Nigeria telecommunications operators, with billions of naire spent for repairs annually.

One of the telecommunications operators, Airtel Nigeria, recently requested urgent actions to protect the telecommunications infrastructure, because the vandalism continues to rise, which leads to an average of 43 fiber cuts only on the Airtel network.
The director of the Corporate Communications Company and CSR, Femi Adenran, who made the call, said that Telco has undergone a total of 7,742 fiber discounts in the last six months of 2024.
According to him, fiber reductions, mainly caused by construction, vandalism and lack of coordination between interested parties, have become an epidemic in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

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