NCC: Accelerate FTTH rollout to hit $1 trillion economy target

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says Nigeria must fast-track Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment if it hopes to achieve its $1 trillion economy target, warning that weak fixed broadband penetration remains a major constraint to growth.

Speaking virtually at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Critical Conversation Forum on FTTH in Lagos on Tuesday, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida said fibre infrastructure is now central to education, healthcare, commerce, governance and AI-driven innovation.

—Broadband use surges, but FTTH lags—

Maida disclosed that Nigeria hit 154.72 million internet subscriptions in April 2026, with broadband penetration rising to 55.67% from 48.81% a year earlier. Nigerians now consume about 1.4 million terabytes of data monthly, driven by remote work, online learning, cloud services and AI applications.

However, he said fixed broadband is still “underdeveloped”, with only 265,000 FTTH subscriptions nationwide.

“That gap presents significant opportunities for expansion and economic growth,” Maida stated. “Last-mile FTTH connections linking homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and communities must complement national backbone expansion.”

–Right-of-Way, vandalism slowing fibre rollout—

The NCC boss listed key barriers to nationwide fibre deployment: Right-of-Way bottlenecks, multiple state permits, vandalism, poor installation standards, and weak coordination between stakeholders.

According to him, telecom operators recorded 27,685 fibre cuts, 27,000 access denials, and 4,210 theft incidents in 2025 alone, disrupting services across the country.

On policy, Maida noted that 13 states have waived Right-of-Way charges, while 16 states adopted the National Economic Council’s N145 per linear metre rate.

He urged the remaining states to eliminate unnecessary barriers, arguing that “digital infrastructure delivers greater long-term economic benefits than Right-of-Way revenue.”

—NCC unveils tools to ease deployment—

To address bottlenecks, the Commission said it has:

1. Launched an Ease of Doing Business Portal with state-specific data on approvals, legislation and deployment requirements.
2. Begun an assessment of Nigeria’s wholesale broadband market to boost competition, infrastructure sharing and affordable services.
3. Pushed for fibre to be included in community planning alongside roads, electricity and water to cut costs and speed up rollout.

Maida also cited the Federal Government’s Project BRIDGE, which will deploy about 90,000km of fibre-optic cable to connect all 774 local government areas.

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He assured that NCC will continue enforcing technical and safety standards to ensure fibre networks are “durable, reliable and future-proof.” Protecting infrastructure, he added, will require closer collaboration between governments, security agencies, lawmakers, operators and communities after telecom assets were designated as critical national infrastructure.

—Industry calls for shared standards—

ATCON President, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, said the sector must tackle poor installation practices and infrastructure duplication to improve quality and reduce costs. He canvassed stronger infrastructure sharing, common deployment standards, and deeper collaboration to achieve universal broadband penetration.

“Connectivity is no longer a luxury. It is the foundation for a $1 trillion economy,” Emoekpere said, expressing optimism that the forum would deliver practical solutions for expanding last-mile access.