Operators licensed to provide broadband services in the country have presented a long list of challenges inhibiting the rollout of infrastructure that will guarantee affordable, ubiquitous and reliable broadband services in Nigeria.
Some of the challenges according to Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of operators in the telecom space include funding; right of way; and multiple taxation; as well as vandalism.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the association told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek said that granting multiple operational license to operators to provide metro and national fibre infrastructure does not guarantee investment in that regard.
He called for the implementation of well-articulated policies that will encourage operators to invest their money.
Adebayo urged the federal government to go beyond granting of licenses to eliminating those barriers such as bottlenecks in securing ‘right of way’, impediments to smooth network operations- where operators are forced to pay levies that are not legalized, and vandalism.
‘Right of way’ is a legal instrument allowing operators to deploy infrastructure on federal or state roads with a fee.
He explained that broadband services are anchored on availability of bandwidth, and that with excess capacity at Nigerian shore, investment need to be encouraged to distribute this capacity to various geographical areas of the country for broadband revolution to be experienced as is the case with voice service.
He added that unless these barriers are addressed it may be difficult for operators to invest in infrastructure that will enable provision of broadband.
Elsewhere, experts have also argued that none availability of fibre backhaul infrastructure required to distribute bandwidth from Lagos, where the submarine cable land to those cities, is responsible for high cost of bandwidth which is affecting quality and cost of internet in those cities.
Mohammed Rudman, managing director, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, said that availability of distributive channels of internet and making it accessible to ISPs is essential for the country to witness a broadband revolution.
“Without moving internet capacity from Lagos to other parts of the country, we may witness a lopsided broadband revolution, only in Lagos and its environs,” he said.