Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Image by HumanIPO.
Juwah was speaking at the ICT Stakeholders’ Forum organised by the Ministry of Communication Technology in Lagos, yesterday.
He used the fact transmission of data to London from Lagos is cheaper than it is to transmit data to Enugu from Lagos.
He said his commission is committed to lowering the cost by encouraging the various fibre networks to embrace interconnectivity.
“They are doing the same thing with similar geography and plans yet they embark on laying their cables separately. This increases the cost and the end-user has to pay more,” Juwah said.
He also blamed acts of vandalism for the high cost of fixed broadband services in Nigeria.
Juwah said: “Vandals can cut fibre optic cables very easily which is why we record an average of 70 cuts nationwide daily.”
To tackle this challenge, he said the commission is partnering with stakeholders to come up with a plan that would make communities liable for the cables that pass through their areas.
Juwah also noted the distribution challenges being faced, with all Nigeria’s submarine cables currently landing at Lagos.
He revealed the commission is making concerted efforts to get the submarine cables to other coastal Nigerian cities to bring about more efficient distribution.
