NCC, Stakeholders Move to End Repeated Road Excavation for Fibre Deployment

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, alongside key industry stakeholders, has intensified efforts to eliminate the frequent excavation of roads for fibre optic installation through the development of a cost based pricing framework for sharing underground telecommunications ducts.

The initiative was unveiled on Wednesday during the Second Stakeholders’ Forum on the Consultancy Study for the Development of a Pricing Mechanism and Cost Based Structure for Sharing Ducts under the Federal Government’s Dig Once Policy held in Abuja.

The proposed framework is expected to reduce broadband deployment costs, encourage infrastructure sharing among telecom operators and speed up fibre optic expansion across the country.

Under the Dig Once Policy, underground ducts for telecommunications infrastructure are installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated, allowing operators to lay fibre cables through existing ducts instead of repeatedly digging up roads.

Speaking at the forum, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare, described the policy as a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and expanding broadband penetration.

According to him, the success of the policy depends largely on the introduction of a transparent, commercially viable and equitable pricing framework that promotes collaboration among infrastructure providers.

He noted that such a framework would boost investor confidence while ensuring efficient use of national resources and protecting public interest.

Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at the NCC, Ayuba Shuaibu, explained that the commission engaged consultants in 2023 to address the absence of a standard pricing mechanism for duct sharing, which had remained a major gap in the draft policy.

He said the proposed framework would establish a fair and structured system that guarantees equitable access to underground duct infrastructure while encouraging sustainable investment in broadband expansion.

Shuaibu added that stakeholders were reviewing the consultant’s recommendations before the framework is finalised, assuring that the commission would continue to adopt an inclusive and transparent approach throughout the process.

Also speaking, Managing Director of Dimension Data Nigeria, Olugbenga Olabiyi, represented by the company’s Lead Solutions Architect and Head of IT Systems and Infrastructure, Akpevwe Egbelughe, said repeated civil engineering works continue to slow broadband expansion.

He maintained that embedding telecommunications ducts during road construction would significantly reduce infrastructure costs, minimise disruption to road users and accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.