Nigeria’s drive to expand broadband connectivity will not succeed simply by deploying more fibre-optic cables unless the country addresses long-standing challenges around funding, infrastructure protection, affordability and network sustainability, Amin Dayekh, the managing director and chief executive officer of MegaMore Wireless Broadband Limited.
Speaking at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Critical Conversation Forum on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) in Lagos, Dayekh said the country’s broadband ambitions risk falling short if industry stakeholders continue to measure progress only by kilometres of fibre installed.
According to him, the real test begins after deployment, when operators must keep networks running despite vandalism, road construction damage, power outages and mounting operational costs.
“The cable is not enough. Every fibre project has two lives. The first life is public and it appears in announcements, brochures, maps, targets and launch ceremonies. The second life is private. It begins the morning after deployment, when the network must face the road contractor, the vandal, the power failure, the impatient investor, the customer complaint and the repair bill,” Dayekh told industry players, regulators and investors.
