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Nigeria’s telecommunications revolution may have transformed connectivity over the past 25 years, but major infrastructure gaps persist across the country, with 18 states still recording less than 2,000 kilometres of fibre deployment.
Industry data highlighted by The Guardian shows that insecurity, weak commercial returns, limited electricity infrastructure and other operating challenges are discouraging telecom operators from expanding networks into several underserved communities.
The disparity comes as Nigeria marks 25 years of GSM services, with the sector evolving from fewer than half a million telephone connections at the turn of the millennium to hundreds of millions of connected lines today.
Lagos, Abuja Lead Fibre Deployment
The distribution of telecom infrastructure remains heavily concentrated around major commercial and population centres.
Only 14 states have fibre networks exceeding the 2,000km benchmark considered important for robust broadband expansion.
Lagos leads significantly, with about 11,586.7km of fibre and 7,996 base transceiver stations (BTS).
The Federal Capital Territory follows with approximately 6,973.13km of fibre and 2,884 BTS sites.
Other states with more than 2,000km of fibre include Rivers, Kano, Edo, Delta, Ogun, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Oyo, Anambra, Plateau and Kwara.
The concentration reflects the commercial realities of telecom investment, with operators generally deploying more infrastructure in areas where population density, business activity and customer demand can support higher returns.
18 States Face Significant Connectivity Gaps
At the other end of the spectrum, several states remain considerably below the 2,000km fibre threshold.
Bayelsa, for instance, has approximately 656.87km of fibre and 436 BTS sites, while Ebonyi has 586.92km of fibre and 422 BTS sites.
Other states with relatively low deployment include Zamfara, with 1,100.98km of fibre, Yobe with 1,526.82km and Taraba with 1,549.5km.
Borno, which has about 1,012.52km of fibre and 579 BTS sites, continues to face significant security challenges, while Jigawa, with 970.1km of fibre and 565 BTS sites, faces questions around the commercial viability of further expansion.
The infrastructure gap has direct consequences for communities that depend increasingly on digital services for education, healthcare, commerce, banking and communication.
Millions Still Lack Basic Connectivity
Despite the growth of mobile services, millions of Nigerians remain outside the reach of reliable basic connectivity.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, estimated in February 2025 that approximately 21 million Nigerians across 4,834 communities lacked access to basic mobile connectivity.
Earlier data from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) showed that the number of people living in unserved and underserved locations had fallen from 36.8 million in 2013 to 23 million in 2024.
USPF Secretary Yomi Arowosafe said the remaining population is concentrated across more than 3,000 predominantly rural communities.
Insecurity Raises Deployment Costs
Security concerns have emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to expanding telecom infrastructure, particularly in parts of northern Nigeria.
Operators face risks including vandalism of fibre cables, destruction of BTS infrastructure and difficulties accessing network sites.
Some communities have also experienced telecommunications shutdowns as authorities attempted to combat banditry and other security threats. In certain areas, infrastructure damaged during such disruptions has been difficult to restore because operators face security risks when returning to affected locations.
Industry stakeholders say the problem is particularly acute across parts of the North-East and North-West.
Southern Nigeria also has underserved communities, particularly in riverine and remote locations where difficult terrain and low population density can make infrastructure projects expensive relative to expected revenue.
Low Commercial Returns Discourage Investment
Security is only one side of the problem.
Telecom infrastructure requires substantial capital expenditure, while operators must generate enough revenue from each location to justify the cost of deployment and ongoing maintenance.
Oyaje Idoko, founder and CEO of Layer3, said private investors naturally assess the commercial viability of extending services to new communities.
Where populations are small, purchasing power is limited or electricity is unreliable, operators may struggle to recover investments in fibre and BTS infrastructure.
The resulting cycle can leave areas with inadequate connectivity, which in turn limits economic activity and makes them less attractive for additional private investment.
Power Costs Add to the Burden
Electricity remains another major challenge for network operators.
Telecom companies often have to provide alternative power for BTS sites because grid supply is unreliable. This increases operating expenditure through spending on diesel, batteries, solar systems and other backup solutions.
MTN Nigeria Chief Operating Officer Ayham Mousa said between 20% and 30% of operators’ expenses can go toward power availability across network sites.
He also said approximately 70% of network downtime can be linked to power shortages, fibre cuts and vandalism.
The wider industry reportedly spends about 30% of operating expenditure on energy to support more than 40,000 BTS sites across the country.
Fibre Cuts and Access Denials Persist
Infrastructure damage is not limited to deliberate vandalism.
Telecom operators recorded more than 27,685 fibre cuts, 27,000 access-denial incidents and 4,210 theft cases over the past year.
These disruptions can affect network availability and increase the cost of maintaining reliable connectivity.
MTN Nigeria CFO Modupe Kadri said persistent vandalism, Right of Way challenges and repeated fibre cuts continue to affect the quality of experience available to customers.
The chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, similarly argued that service-quality problems cannot be addressed through fines alone when operators face infrastructure and access constraints.
Right of Way Remains a Major Issue
The cost and administration of Right of Way (RoW) approvals also continue to influence where operators deploy infrastructure.
As of mid-2026, about 15 states had completely waived RoW charges for telecom operators, while another 16 states had adopted the nationally recommended rate of ₦145 per linear metre.
However, Adebayo said some states that advertise zero RoW charges still impose other levies, including development, education, environmental and infrastructure-related charges.
According to him, these additional costs can undermine the impact of RoW waivers and make deployment less commercially attractive.
Digital Divide Could Widen Economic Inequality
The uneven distribution of infrastructure has implications far beyond internet access.
Areas with weak connectivity can struggle to attract digital businesses, support online education, provide telemedicine services and participate fully in e-commerce and digital financial services.
Deolu Ogunbanjo, President of the National Association of Telecom Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMs), warned that inadequate connectivity could contribute to further rural-to-urban migration, as residents move toward locations offering better access to essential digital services.
The disparity also affects digital government. Local government areas with active websites and stronger digital services are largely concentrated in metropolitan centres, reflecting the connection between economic activity and digital maturity.
Broadband Penetration Improves, But Target Missed
Nigeria’s broadband penetration has continued to rise but remains below the target established under the country’s previous broadband plan.
The National Broadband Plan had targeted 70% broadband penetration by 2025. Nigeria ended that year at 51.97%, before penetration increased to 56.11% by May 2026, representing access for roughly 121 million people.
The latest figures demonstrate progress, but the large differences between states indicate that national averages can conceal significant local connectivity gaps.
Project BRIDGE Offers New Hope
The Federal Government is seeking to address some of these structural challenges through Project BRIDGE, an ambitious programme designed to deploy an additional 90,000 kilometres of fibre across all 774 local government areas.
The project has secured a $200 million loan from the African Development Bank Group, alongside a further $100 million investment commitment from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has stressed that the national fibre backbone must eventually be connected to last-mile infrastructure serving homes, schools, hospitals, offices and communities.
Tijani recently said mobilisation and contracting processes for the nationwide fibre project had been completed, with physical deployment expected to begin within weeks.
Bridging the Gap Requires More Than Fibre
As Nigeria enters the next phase of its telecom development, industry stakeholders say closing the connectivity gap will require a combination of infrastructure investment, security improvements, supportive regulation and incentives for private operators.
Alternative technologies such as satellite broadband could also help connect difficult-to-reach communities, while public-private partnerships may reduce the financial risks associated with deployment in low-income and sparsely populated areas.
Twenty-five years after GSM transformed communications in Nigeria, the central challenge has therefore shifted from simply expanding mobile access to ensuring that every region can participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
Without targeted intervention, the country risks developing a two-speed digital economy one concentrated in highly connected urban centres and another where inadequate infrastructure continues to limit economic opportunity.
