The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for an urgent acceleration in Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment, declaring that rapid broadband expansion is the foundational bedrock required to drive Nigeria toward its ambitious target of a $1 trillion economy.

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

Speaking on the theme, “Addressing Challenges, Strengthening Standards and Ensuring Sustainable FTTH Deployment in Nigeria,” Maida emphasised that resilient fibre infrastructure has transitioned from a luxury to a critical driver of national development.

The Broadband Gap vs. Soaring Data Demands
While mobile internet access has seen massive growth, the NCC boss highlighted a stark underdevelopment in fixed broadband infrastructure.

Nigeria recorded a milestone 154.72 million internet subscriptions in April 2026, pushing broadband penetration to 55.67% (up from 48.81% the previous year).

Driven by a massive surge in remote work, online learning, cloud computing, and AI-driven applications, Nigerians now consume a staggering 1.4 million terabytes of internet data monthly.

However, Maida pointed out that out of these millions of users, only about 265,000 are active FTTH subscriptions. This massive deficit, he noted, presents a profound opportunity for investors and economic expansion.

“Internet connectivity has become essential for education, healthcare, commerce, governance, financial services, and innovation,” Maida, EVC, NCC said.

Gridlocks, Vandalism, and the True Cost of Right-of-Way
The push for a nationwide fibre rollout continues to battle severe systemic bottlenecks. Maida outlined a series of challenges that heavily disrupt service delivery and slow down deployment:

Vandalism & Security: In 2025 alone, telecom operators recorded over 27,685 fibre cuts, 4,210 incidents of theft, and 27,000 instances of denied access to infrastructure sites.

Administrative Barriers: Multiple permitting processes, weak inter-agency coordination, and inconsistent Right-of-Way (RoW) fees across states continue to stifle progress.

Addressing state governments, Maida revealed that while 13 states have completely waived RoW charges and 16 have adopted the National Economic Council’s recommended rate of ₦145 per linear metre, others still lag behind.

He urged remaining states to dismantle these barriers, pointing out that the long-term economic returns of robust digital infrastructure vastly outweigh immediate RoW revenues.

Regulatory Interventions and the Path Forward
To combat these hurdles, the NCC announced several ongoing strategic initiatives:

Ease of Doing Business Portal: A newly inaugurated portal designed to simplify investments by offering centralized, state-specific data on regulatory approvals and deployment laws.

Market Assessment: An ongoing review of the wholesale broadband market to encourage healthy competition, protect consumer choice, and enforce affordable pricing.

Infrastructure Integration: A call to action for urban planners to integrate telecommunications infrastructure directly into community planning alongside traditional utilities like roads, water, and electricity.

Maida also highlighted the federal government’s Project BRIDGE, a massive initiative aimed at deploying approximately 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable across all 774 local government areas.

However, he maintained that this national backbone must be met with aggressive last-mile FTTH connections to link individual homes, hospitals, and schools.

Corroborating the NCC’s stance, ATCON President Mr. Tony Emoekpere called on operators to look inward.

He urged the industry to eliminate poor installation practices and costly infrastructure duplication through active infrastructure sharing and standardized deployment rules.

Emoekpere expressed strong optimism that the collaborative forum would yield immediate, practical solutions to unlock last-mile connectivity for all Nigerians.