By STELLAMARIS ASHINZE

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged accelerated Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment, saying faster broadband expansion is critical for Nigeria to achieve its $1 trillion economy ambition.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call virtually on Tuesday at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria’s (ATCON’s) Critical Conversation Forum on FTTH in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forum, organised by ATCON, had the theme: “Addressing Challenges, Strengthening Standards and Ensuring Sustainable FTTH Deployment in Nigeria.”

Maida said internet connectivity had become essential for education, healthcare, commerce, governance, financial services and innovation, making resilient fibre infrastructure critical to national development.

He noted that Nigeria recorded 154.72m internet subscriptions in April 2026, while broadband penetration rose to 55.67 per cent from 48.81 per cent a year earlier.

According to him, Nigerians now consume about 1.4 million terabytes of internet data monthly, driven by remote work, online learning, cloud services and AI-enabled applications.

"Fixed broadband remains underdeveloped, with only about 265,000 FTTH subscriptions, presenting significant opportunities for expansion and economic growth.

“Right-of-Way bottlenecks, multiple permits, vandalism, poor deployment standards and weak coordination are major barriers slowing nationwide fibre infrastructure rollout.

“Thirteen states have waived Right-of-Way charges, while 16 adopted the National Economic Council’s recommended N145 per linear metre rate,’’ he said.

The NCC boss urged remaining states to eliminate unnecessary deployment barriers, saying digital infrastructure delivered greater long-term economic benefits than Right-of-Way revenue.

He said the commission inaugurated an Ease of Doing Business Portal to simplify investment by providing state-specific information on approvals, legislation and deployment requirements.

According to him, NCC is assessing Nigeria’s wholesale broadband market to promote competition, infrastructure sharing, consumer choice and affordable, high-quality broadband services.

Maida said telecommunications infrastructure should be incorporated into community planning alongside roads, electricity and water to reduce costs and accelerate broadband deployment.

He assured that NCC would continue enforcing technical and safety standards to ensure fibre infrastructure remained durable, reliable and capable of supporting future digital demands.

The EVC said operators recorded over 27,685 fibre cuts, 27,000 access denials and 4,210 theft incidents in 2025, disrupting nationwide telecommunications services.

He stressed that protecting telecommunications infrastructure required stronger collaboration among governments, security agencies, lawmakers, operators and communities following its designation as critical national infrastructure.

Maida said the Federal Government’s Project BRIDGE would deploy about 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable to improve broadband access across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

He added that national backbone expansion must be complemented by last-mile FTTH connections linking homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and communities.

Also speaking, the ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, called for stronger infrastructure sharing, common deployment standards and greater industry collaboration to support sustainable broadband expansion.

Emoekpere said operators must address poor installation practices and infrastructure duplication to improve network quality, reduce costs and achieve universal broadband penetration.

He expressed confidence that the forum would produce practical solutions for expanding last-mile connectivity and strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure. (NAN)

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