Nigeria Unveils Fibre, Satellite, Tower Drive To Close Rural Digital Gap
By TOSI ORE
THE Federal Government is preparing to expand broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities through a 90,000-kilometre fibre-optic project and the deployment of thousands of telecommunications towers.
The initiative, expected to begin in October, targets more than 20 million Nigerians living in communities with limited or no telecommunications access.
Fibre Backbone to Quadruple
The project will deploy at least 90,000km of additional fibre across the country through a public-private partnership.
That expansion would increase Nigeria’s fibre-optic backbone from about 35,000km to roughly 125,000km.
The government also plans to install 3,700 new telecommunications towers in rural communities.
Together, the infrastructure is expected to improve broadband access, reduce the digital divide and make digital services more accessible and affordable.
Development Partners Provide Funding
Several international development institutions are supporting Nigeria’s digital infrastructure drive.
The World Bank approved $500 million in financing in October 2025.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development later committed $100 million, alongside a €22 million European Union grant.
In April 2026, the African Development Bank approved another $200 million for the Digital Value Chain Infrastructure for Boosting Employment project, which incorporates Project BRIDGE.
Rural Communities Still Face Digital Gap
Despite improvements in national broadband penetration, many rural residents still lack reliable high-speed internet.
High data costs and uneven fibre distribution continue to limit access.
The GSM Association also identified Nigeria among the countries with the largest mobile internet usage gaps.
It reported that about 130 million Nigerians did not use or have access to mobile internet services.
Government Adopts ‘Dig Once’ Policy
The Federal Government is also seeking to reduce the repeated excavation of roads during fibre deployment.
It plans to achieve this through the implementation of a “Dig Once” policy.
The Nigerian Communications Commission, working with stakeholders, has developed a cost-based pricing framework for shared duct infrastructure.
The framework should encourage operators to share infrastructure, reduce road damage and lower deployment costs.
It could also speed up broadband expansion across the country.
Satellites to Reach Hard-to-Serve Areas
The government is complementing the fibre and tower projects with satellite technology.
It recently approved the acquisition and deployment of two communications satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B.
The satellites are expected to expand Nigeria’s satellite capacity and provide connectivity in locations where fibre networks and telecommunications towers remain difficult or expensive to deploy.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the broader initiative would help extend telecommunications services to more than 20 million Nigerians without adequate access.
Renewed Push After Two Decades
The latest programme also revives the ambition behind Nigeria’s long-standing rural telephony initiative.
The National Rural Telephony project began in 2002 to expand universal telecommunications access and reduce rural-urban migration.
Its original plan covered 218 local government areas and proposed more than 636,000 CDMA lines across the country’s 774 local government areas and the Federal Capital Territory.
The new fibre, tower and satellite investments now offer the government another opportunity to address the connectivity gap and bring more rural Nigerians into the digital economy.
