Subsea cable cut: NCC calls for regional telecom infrastructure protection

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for a coordinated and multilateral approach by the West African region to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure and diversify connectivity to ensure uninterruptible connections.

Aminu Maida, the executive vice-chairman of NCC, spoke on the backdrop of the recent subsea cable cuts.

On March 14, submarine cable cuts affected subsea cable providers and disrupted internet traffic in major parts of Africa — including Nigeria.

According to a statement on Sunday, Maida made the call while speaking at the 21st West Africa Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) annual general meeting (AGM), held in Sierra Leone, from March 19 to March 22.

Maida was represented by Nnena Ukoha, deputy director of public affairs of the commission.

He said the recent submarine cable cuts that resulted in nationwide outages on multiple networks in 12 African countries have raised the urgent need for the subregion to establish a mechanism to protect itself from damage to submarine infrastructure and its attendant impact on the subregion.

Citing a report by Cloudflare, an IT service management firm, he said about six countries, including four West African countries, are still suffering from the outages caused by the submarine cable cuts.

“Securing telecom infrastructure is paramount for fostering Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and enhancing investor confidence in the West African sub- region,” Maida said.

“The reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks are crucial factors that investors consider when evaluating regional opportunities.

“By ensuring the security of these vital assets, we can attract more investment, spur economic growth, and enhance our competitiveness on the global stage.

“A secure telecoms infrastructure not only facilitates efficient communication and connectivity but also signals a commitment to safeguarding critical assets essential for business operations.

“This assurance can significantly boost investor confidence and create a conducive environment for sustainable economic development.”

Maida also said the impact of events like cable cuts highlights the need for a coordinated, multilateral approach to protecting shared infrastructure across our member nations.

He, therefore, proposed the urgent need to set up a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation, and emergency response procedures for the submarine cables that pass through the sub-region.

“Further to this, we recommend that the WATRA Working Group on Infrastructure expand its mandate to spearhead the development of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard the subregion’s telecommunications networks and associated infrastructure thereby proactively bolstering resilience through improved disaster response protocols to better insulate ourselves from future disruptions,” he added.

He also urged the group to focus on strengthening sub-regional infrastructure resilience; promoting the diversification of the sub-region’s connectivity, conducting regular capacity assessments, as well as facilitating the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure in member countries.