CNII: NCC restates collective safeguard of fibre optic infrastructure essential, lauds Edo

*Dr. Amimu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, applauds Edo State authorities for protecting fibre optics infrastructure, urging other states of the Federation to emulate the state in reducing fibre cuts during construction works

Gbenga Kayode| ConsumerConnect

The collaborative efforts at safeguarding fibre optic infrastructure between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Edo State Government are fast yielding positive results.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Amimu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, affirmed this development at a recent media breakfast meeting held in Abuja, FCT.

Maida also used the forum to applaud the Edo State Government and its agencies for their  helpful approach to protecting the country’s telecoms infrastructure, especially during road construction works.

The EVC/CEO of the telecoms sector regulatory Commission also said their contractors had notified the NCC and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) before commencing road constructions.

He equally, urged other states of the Federation to emulate Edo in reducing fibre cuts during road construction activities.

Maida further stated: “I would commend a particular state, Edo, its approach the matter.

“I will like to appreciate the state’s authorities for the way they have handled that collaboration in a very simple but effective manner.”

Edo’s efforts at safeguarding CNII yielding results, says EVC/CEO

The NCC Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission also underscored the seriousness the Edo State Government attaches to protection of the country’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) including fibre optics.

He explained: “Their contractors, prior to starting any work, send out letters to the Commission to inform all the Telco service providers who own infrastructure to basically give them notice of work.

“That simple action has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of incidences that occur due to construction activities.

“So, it is a model now that we are encouraging other states to adopt.”

On Quality of Service and consumer experience

Highlighting the performance of Nigeria’s Mobile Network Operators, Maida at the interactive session with the media representatives, said the Quality of Service (QoS) that Nigerian telecoms consumers getting from service providers had started improving in relation to positive signals gained through independent crowd-sourced data.

He, however, noted that more work still needs to be done in enhancing both the QoS and consumers’ Quality of Experience (QoE) in the ecosystem.

The Chief Executive of the Commission averred: “We are still not where we want to be, but we are beginning to see the right signals.

“The Quality of Experience is improving rather than services degrading, but at the same time, we are seeing a rise in consumption.”

Maida further noted: “We are still not where we want to be, but are we satisfied as a regulator?

“I think the area of satisfaction is the fact that we are beginning to see the right signals.”

According to him, network operators upgraded about 2,800 sites, in 2025, across the three major operators, MTN Nigeria, Airtel and Globacom, covering new sites, technology upgrades from 2G, 3G to 4G, and 5G, as well as fibre additions in other locations.

Network operators’ commitment to base station upgrades, new sites 2026

Dr. Maida restated that the MNOs again, have committed to 12,000 additional site upgrades and deployments 2026.

“These numbers in terms of the work done also support this.

“Last year we saw just under 3,000 sites being upgraded and introduced for coverage and capacity,” said he.

The Chief Executive of the Commission also said: “But this year they have committed to upgrading and introducing sites, which in total are about 12,000.

“This is across the three major operators, Airtel, Globacom, and MTN (Nigeria).

“And this is a combination of new sites which have been upgraded from slower technologies, 2G, 3G, to 4G and 5G.”

In regard to consumer protection, Maida stressed the rationale for the NCC’s recent compensation directive for telecoms subscribers affected by poor service delivery across the West African country.

The move, Maida stated, is aimed at ensuring that telecoms consumers directly benefit, rather than government alone collecting financial penalties from defaulting operators in the telecoms space.

He assured Nigerians that the compensation process “is something that is going to be ongoing for those operators that are not showing commitment to improving and addressing these issues,” he said.

Infrastructure companies too are required to make additional investments in power and security infrastructure to support better service delivery and enhance consumers’ Quality of Experience in the Nigerian telecoms ecosystem.

In her earlier remarks at the event, Mrs. Nnena Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs at NCC, had said that the Commission expected frank, constructive conversations with media professionals present on telecoms trends.

“It is my expectation that we will constructively utilise this platform for open and frank conversations, sharing insights on the emerging trends in the telecommunications industry,” Ukoha stated.

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