By Abigail Mbah
Nigeria’s telecommunications industry recorded over 44,678 fibre-optic cable cuts between January and September 2026, highlighting the growing infrastructure challenges affecting network quality across the country.
The figures, released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), identified road construction, excavation activities, vandalism and cable connection faults as major causes of disruptions to telecom infrastructure.
The frequent damage to fibre-optic networks has contributed to dropped calls, slow internet speeds and unreliable connectivity, leaving millions of subscribers exposed to poor service quality.
In response, telecom operators compensated about 75 million unique subscribers under the NCC’s Consumer Compensation Framework for poor network performance during the period.
Nearly three million additional customers also received refunds for failed airtime and data transactions.
Beyond compensation, the NCC recorded more than 6,500 interventions to address network-related complaints and service disruptions. The interventions included equipment upgrades and capacity expansion aimed at improving network performance.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, acknowledged the compensation provided by operators but stressed that financial refunds could not fully address the impact of poor telecommunications services on consumers and businesses.
“Compensation matters, but it cannot recover a lost business opportunity or an important conversation that could not take place,” he said, adding that the regulator’s priority remained reducing the network failures that make compensation necessary.
The figures underscore the persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s telecom industry, particularly the vulnerability of critical fibre infrastructure to construction activities, vandalism and other forms of physical damage.
They also highlight the need for stronger infrastructure protection and better coordination between telecom operators, government agencies and construction companies to minimise disruptions and improve service delivery.