MTN Targets 8 million Nigerian Households With Fibre Connectivity By 2028

MTN Nigeria has announced plans to expand its fibre network to reach over 8 million homes across the country by 2028 as part of its national broadband ambition.

Egerton Idehem, MTN chief broadband officer, announced at the virtual event with Media Innovation Programme (MIP) alumni on Thursday.

Speaking during a media engagement, Idehem said “when we talk homes, we’re not talking about individuals. We have to always think about homes as a cluster unit, a unit of family”.

“We want to create that opportunity for households, businesses, SMEs, and MSMEs and all of those people who would require high-speed, unlimited, low-latency connectivity,” he said.

Idehem noted that the decision to deepen fibre deployment is driven by Nigeria’s fast-growing population and urban expansion, especially in cities like Lagos, which are projected to experience a population boom in the coming decades.

“The wireless that we currently have will not be able to sustain the demand. We’re looking at petabytes and petabytes of data. It’s clear that we will need this fibre that will ensure reliability, low latency, and high data demand,” he said.

Idehen stressed the need for fibre in homes, saying “fibre is really needed” because many Nigerians work remotely.

He added that the initiative aligns with the federal government’s National Broadband Plan and National Digital Economy Policy, which aim to improve internet access and digital inclusion nationwide.

“Every kilometre of fibre we deploy is a direct contribution to the economic resilience and global relevance. So it’s not just about making money, it’s about tying it to the national goals, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

To achieve its targets, MTN is partnering with infrastructure companies, state governments, and local contractors to ensure an efficient and sustainable rollout.

“We’re investing significantly in fibre infrastructure as a strategy and working with state governments and local contractors. So we have a lot of local contractors to ensure faster and smarter rollouts,” he added.

Idehen also emphasised the importance of collaboration with the community and estate developers to integrate fibre infrastructure into new housing projects from inception.

However, the broadband officer acknowledged that challenges such as vandalism, right-of-way issues, and road construction damages continue to hinder fibre expansion efforts.

He disclosed that they experience 27 to 30 fibre vandalism incidents daily, adding that the fibre cut requires a “huge cost of maintenance”.

Idehen commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for working to declare telecom infrastructure as national assets requiring protection, as well as for harmonising policies to ease fibre deployment.

The officer added that MTN’s commitment is “simple, strong, to deliver quality, affordability, and reliability across every part of a proper network”.