Public analyst urges federal action after 5,000+ fibre cuts disrupt services in first half of 2026

# What happened

Commission (NCC) reported more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cut incidents in the first six months of 2026. The incidents were attributed mainly to road construction, excavation and related civil works. The NCC warned that damage to communications infrastructure can disrupt banking, commerce, government services, healthcare, security and emergency communications.

# Why this matters

# Who spoke and what they proposed

Israel Ihaza, an ICT expert and digital literacy advocate, outlined a set of practical measures during a radio programme on Radio One 103.5 FM:

• Incentivise local security personnel to monitor vulnerable telecom assets and report suspicious activity.
• Install CCTV and other surveillance at exposed or frequently targeted locations.
• Publish and label underground fibre routes to reduce accidental damage during construction, similar to pipeline markings.
• Improve education for construction companies, engineers and contractors about the location and importance of fibre infrastructure.
• Apply appropriate legal consequences for deliberate or negligent damage while prioritising prevention.

# Industry cost example

# Government coordination

The NCC has called for stronger coordination among telecommunications operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security agencies. A joint standing committee involving the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has been established to develop mechanisms for protecting fibre infrastructure during roadworks.

# Practical steps to reduce incidents

• Incentives: Provide modest, verifiable rewards or contracts to local security teams for monitoring and rapid reporting.
• Visibility: Mark known underground fibre routes on planning maps and post physical warnings at common excavation sites.
• Surveillance: Deploy CCTV cameras at high-risk stretches of cable and integrate feeds with local security or operator control rooms.
• Education: Require pre-construction checks against telecom route maps and include telecom-protection protocols in contractor approval processes.
• Coordination: Enforce mandatory notification protocols between works contractors and telecom operators before excavation.

# Bottom line

Protecting fibre infrastructure will require coordinated action across regulators, operators, contractors and local communities. The proposals on the table focus on prevention, clearer route identification and local monitoring incentives to reduce both accidental and deliberate damage while lowering repair costs and limiting service disruption.