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Rising damage to fibre-optic infrastructure is putting increasing pressure on Nigeria’s digital economy, disrupting communications, digital payments, business operations and other services that depend on reliable connectivity.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) indicate that thousands of fibre-optic cable cuts have been recorded this year, with the frequency of incidents highlighting growing risks to the infrastructure supporting the country’s digital and financial systems.
Fibre cuts disrupt telecom and financial services
At least 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded in the first six months of the year, according to the NCC, with a total figure of 5,934 referenced, equivalent to roughly 33 incidents every day.
The scale of the problem follows an already difficult period for the industry. Between January and August of the previous year, operators recorded 19,384 fibre cuts, while MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecommunications operator, reported 5,478 cuts during the first seven months of 2025 and more than 9,000 across the full year.
The impact extends beyond telecommunications companies. A recent fibre cut affecting the Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN) in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) left parts of the Federal Capital Territory experiencing degraded internet and data services.
Subscribers, businesses, government offices and financial service providers reported slow connections, intermittent services and outright disruptions. Online transactions were affected, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services failed in some locations, and cloud-based applications and other digital platforms became unreliable.
For businesses that rely on stable connectivity for daily operations, such interruptions can translate into delayed service delivery, disrupted customer communication and transaction failures.
Construction and vandalism drive infrastructure damage
Industry stakeholders attribute a significant share of fibre damage to road construction, excavation and other civil works, which account for about 60% or more of incidents in some estimates.
Vandalism and theft also contribute to the problem, while contractors and utility crews can damage underground infrastructure when accurate route information is unavailable or different projects are not properly coordinated.
The problem has been reported across several high-traffic locations, including parts of the Southeast and Southsouth, Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Kano and Kaduna.
These areas also support significant volumes of enterprise traffic, banking activity, fintech transactions and other digital services, increasing the potential economic impact when critical fibre routes are disrupted.
Fibre networks form the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy
Fibre infrastructure provides the high-capacity connectivity that underpins mobile telecommunications, fixed broadband, data centres and international connectivity.
When a major route such as the BCN is severed, the consequences can extend well beyond the location of the physical damage.
Operators must identify the break, access the affected section, repair or replace damaged fibre, splice the strands, test the connection and gradually restore traffic. Depending on the location, accessibility and extent of the damage, the process can take several hours or longer.
Network redundancy and alternative routes can help maintain services, but major incidents can still reduce service quality for large numbers of users.
The financial burden is also significant. Industry estimates place the combined annual cost of fibre damage, including repairs, lost revenue and operational disruption, at between ₦27 billion and ₦35 billion.
MTN alone has allocated billions of naira to fibre maintenance and relocation, diverting resources that could otherwise support network expansion and capacity upgrades.
Fibre reliability increasingly tied to economic activity
The telecoms industry contributes about 9.7% of Nigeria’s real gross domestic product (GDP) and supports digital payment activity involving trillions of naira.
As connectivity becomes embedded in banking, commerce, logistics, healthcare, education and government services, disruptions to the underlying infrastructure can quickly spread across other parts of the economy.
A fibre outage that affects point-of-sale terminals, banking applications or cloud services, for example, can prevent businesses from completing transactions and accessing critical systems.
Consumers and smaller businesses are often among those most immediately affected. Failed card payments can mean lost sales, while remote workers and students can lose productive hours when internet access becomes unstable. Healthcare providers and emergency services can also face communication challenges where connectivity is disrupted.
With more than 150 million internet subscriptions and data consumption continuing to increase, reliable connectivity has increasingly become a basic component of economic infrastructure rather than simply a consumer convenience.
Government and operators strengthen fibre protection
The recurring damage has prompted calls from industry stakeholders and regulators for stronger coordination between telecom operators, construction companies, government agencies and other infrastructure owners.
Telecom operators are increasingly sharing fibre route information with relevant agencies to reduce the risk of accidental damage during construction and excavation.
The Federal Government has also designated telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure, providing additional legal protection for key network assets.
Committees involving the ministries responsible for works and communications, the NCC and security agencies are working to establish practical measures that require contractors and other parties to verify the location of underground infrastructure before beginning excavation.
Operators, meanwhile, continue to commit significant capital to network expansion and modernisation. MTN alone has invested more than ₦1.6 trillion in network expansion and modernisation since 2025, contributing to broader industry investment of more than ₦2 trillion.
However, recurring fibre damage means part of this capital is being redirected towards emergency repairs, maintenance and relocation rather than new infrastructure and capacity.
Protecting fibre infrastructure becomes critical
As technical teams continue efforts to restore affected sections of the BCN in AMAC, the wider challenge remains the same: Nigeria’s digital economy is expanding while the physical infrastructure supporting it remains vulnerable to repeated damage.
Fibre networks now carry the connectivity that supports financial transactions, business operations, public services and everyday digital activity. Protecting these routes therefore requires coordination across telecom operators, construction companies, government agencies, utility providers and security institutions.
Without stronger safeguards around fibre infrastructure and better coordination before excavation and construction work begins, repeated outages will continue to increase operational costs and undermine the reliability of the digital services on which businesses, government and consumers increasingly depend.
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