Telecom operators lose N35.4bn to fibre cable cuts in 1 year

The telecom operators in Nigeria have bemoaned frequent fibre optic cable cuts, leading to a loss of at least $23m (35.4bn) in 2023.

This has also caused internet outages, impacting telecom service quality in the country, according to the operators.

In February, media reports said millions of MTN Nigeria customers could not make calls or connect to the internet for about four hours because of multiple fibre cuts.

These cuts are becoming increasingly common, disrupting internet speeds, access, and reliability.

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Airtel Nigeria, according to media reports, recently called for urgent actions to protect telecom infrastructure as vandalism continues to surge leading to a record of an average of 43 fibre cuts daily on the Airtel network alone.

The company’s Director of Corporate Communications and CSR, Femi Adeniran, was quoted as saying the telco had suffered a total of 7,742 fibre cuts in the last six months.

According to him, fibre cuts—primarily caused by construction activities, vandalism, and a lack of coordination between stakeholders—have become an epidemic in the Nigerian telecom industry.

Fibre optic cables are vital to connectivity because they bring network capacity closer to subscribers.

As of 2023, Nigeria had deployed 78,676 kilometres of fibre optic cable, with most concentrated in urban areas like Lagos (7,864.60km), Edo (4,892.71km), FCT (4,472.03km), Ogun (4,189.18km), and Niger (3,681.66km).

In a submission to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) emphasised the importance of an uninterrupted infrastructure network, including fibre cables, towers and data centres, to optimal service quality.

“Depending on the root of the impact, it can lead to prolonged outages. It also disrupts smooth operations,” ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo said.

These cuts are expensive to fix. According to a Bloomberg report, damaged cables cost telcos N27 billion ($23 million) in repairs and lost revenues in 2023, with MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa Plc shouldering most of the costs.

MTN suffered more than 6,000 fibre cable cuts in 2023. The report said MTN relocated 2,500 kilometres (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fibre cables between 2022 and 2023, costing more than N11 billion. This investment could have built 870 kilometres of new fibre cables in underserved areas.

Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian ICT sector has been calling on the federal government to designate telecom infrastructure as a critical national asset to address the persistent attacks on infrastructure across the country.

“In 2023 alone, MTN Nigeria reported suffering more than 6,000 cuts on its fibre cable. The operator relocated 2,500 kilometres of vulnerable fibre cables between 2022 and 2023 at a cost exceeding N11bn—enough to build 870 kilometres of new fibre lines in areas without coverage”, a statement said in October.

The key stakeholders in the sector have also asked the federal government to safeguard Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure from cyber threats, theft, and vandalism, which are crucial for the country’s economic growth.

The stakeholders spoke during a panel session, titled, ‘Protecting Critical National Infrastructure: Securing Nigeria’s Telecommunications Sector for Sustainable Growth’, at the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.

The Senior Vice President/Chief Corporate Services Officer, IHS, Dapo Otunla, said it became critical to strengthen core infrastructure driving Nigeria’s digital economy by safeguarding the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.

He said protecting telecommunications assets was vital to achieving the digital economy targets of the current administration and called for collaborative solutions for safeguarding these critical assets from vandalism, theft and cyber attacks.