Can NCC’s Duct-Sharing Plan Lower Nigeria’s Telecom Costs?
The Nigerian Communications Commission is developing a cost-based framework for sharing underground fibre ducts under its Dig Once Policy. The goal is to reduce repeated road excavation and give telecom operators clearer, fairer access terms as they expand fibre networks. The framework is still under consultation and is not a final nationwide price order. It also does not set a monthly ceiling for tower rent. Duct access, tower colocation, power costs and lease contracts are separate issues with different pricing structures. IHS Towers’ second-quarter results show why these distinctions matter. Its Nigerian revenue rose year-on-year, partly supported by foreign-exchange translation, while adjusted EBITDA declined as power, repairs and maintenance costs increased. The figures do not prove a sector-wide decline in investment or link the company’s costs to an NCC rent adjustment. The key test will be whether the final duct-sharing rules make fibre deployment cheaper and faster without discouraging infrastructure investment. Regulators and operators should publish transparent access prices, deployment data and network-quality measures before drawing conclusions about the effect on consumers.
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