In Nigeria, there is a frequent occurrence of both metro and terrestrial fiber cuts, resulting in a bad internet experience, increased maintenance costs on the part of the operators, and sometimes prolonged outages experience for the customers.
Causes of these fiber cuts, according to industry players, are primarily related to government and private sector construction activities, accounting for almost 80% of terrestrial cable cuts.
Fishing trawlers, dredgers, oil companies, and vessel activities have also been identified as contributing significantly to disruptions in subsea cables.
Thus, the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) further highlighted fibre cuts as major stumbling blocks to the Nigerian telecom sector’s growth, and recommended ‘Dig Once Policy’ as solution to this challenge.
Similarly, the association affirmed its readiness to rally its members take strategic measures to tackle submarine fibre disruption in the country.
Tony Emoekpere, the president of ATCON, at the first edition of ATCON’s Critical Conversation Breakfast Meeting held in Lagos with the theme: ‘the Direct And Indirect Cause And Impact Of Metro, Terrestrial And Submarine Fibre Disruptions (Cuts)–Short, Medium And Long Term Sustainable Solutions’, stated that, operators cannot continue to pay lip service to issues and challenges that have constituted stumbling block to the telecom sector growth.
Fibre Cuts and Associated Financial Losses
The president recall that few months ago, there was a reported case of subsea cable cuts which significantly impacted Nigeria and some African countries, adding that,
“The incidences of Metro, Terrestrial and Submarine Fibre Disruptions have become a recurring decimal which must be addressed by relevant agencies at all levels of government. Our members have had to pay a substantial amount of money to have all these disruptions fixed and this is impacting on their operational expenses which should not be if the perpetrators are brought to book.”
On advocacy, the president said ATCON is seeking ways going forward, adding that ducts should be built when new roads are being constructed.
“There is a need to enforce and implement the provision in the Nigeria National Broadband Band Plan 2020-2025 which states that NCC should have a desk officer in each state of the Federation who is expected to be in charge of the fiber network in order to minimize Fiber cuts during roads construction,” he recommended.
The president averred that the telecom sector has been reported to contribute over 14 per cent to the nation’s GDP, adding that, the sector could have done much better if issues like fiber disruption which has constituted a threat to the manifestation of its inherent potentials, is dealt with.
Critical National Infrastructure Protection
Emoekpere however stressed the need for more collaboration between telecoms operators and government, with developers and road contractors to mitigate the challenges of fiber cuts.
“There must be compensation for fibre cable cuts. Training and awareness creation on the importance of fibre cable and the danger and negative impact of fibre cable cut, cannot be overemphasised. The federal government should declare telecoms assets as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
“Government should come up with policies like ‘Dig Once Policy’ for the implementation of fibre laying to avoid operators damaging cables of other operators during cable laying. There must be a clear database of government agencies giving approvals for road construction to enable telecom companies to have an idea of who they are dealing with as well as the need to have a status update on task responsibilities of ATCON for a follow-up of ATCON activities,” he advocated.
In the same vein, the CEO of NetAccess, Lekan Balogun said, the major causes of fibre cable cut includes Govt/Private Contractors, man-made, planning and Design and Natural causes, while stressing that, there is need for constant engagement between ATCON members, the government and developers.
Balogun proposed short, medium and long term recommendations to forestall fibre cuts, adding that the use of protective materials like metals rather than plastics will help protect the cables from unwanted cuts.
ATCON members at the breakfast series widely agreed that the government has a crucial role to play in protecting telecoms infrastructure through the passage of the Critical National Infrastructure bill, promoting inter-agency cooperation, increasing awareness, and aligning certification for fiber optic service providers.
Although the National Broadband Plan was praised as a good policy, stakeholders suggested closer monitoring of its implementation to ensure its success.
Some photos at the event:
During a panel session moderated by Mr. Wole Abu, the chief executive officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, industry experts unanimously agreed that the Lagos- Calabar coastal highway project is also a major risk to the integrity of the submarine cables as all landing stations are on the seashore of the Lagos end where construction has started from.
“Nigeria, and Africa as a whole, could experience another internet outage if these cables are damaged during construction. This would have a severe impact on the economy, particularly on financial services and other sectors relying on digital infrastructure. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to engage continuously with ATCON to mitigate the risks associated with this construction activity”, Abu said.
They agreed that there is ample room for collaboration between telecom companies internally and with government agencies such as NIMASA, NIWA, FMWH and the Navy to monitor and provide support for submarine cable systems.
“It is crucial that a concerted effort is made today to secure our digital future”.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications industry has come a long way, contributing more than 14% of Nigeria’s GDP and poised for hypergrowth with the emerging technology trends.
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