Telecom operators seek uniform charges for Right of Way

Telecom operators in the country have urged the federal government to make a policy that will make the charges on the Right of Way (RoW) uniform across the country.

According to them, the issue of RoW has been a major challenge hindering the deployment of telecom infrastructure while the infrastructure is vandalised in some areas.

Right of Way charge is a levy paid by telecommunication companies to state governments, permitting telecommunication companies to dig up the roads and install telecommunications hardware such as optic fibre cables that carry internet traffic.

The Right of Way charge has been fraught with inconsistencies across the states in terms of charges and has negatively impacted broadband infrastructure.

To harmonize the Right of Way charges for broadband infrastructure investment, the Federal Government, in 2017, through the National Executive Council (NEC), approved a policy, which resulted in a RoW Charge Agreement reached with all the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria.

However, the RoW Charge Agreement is yet to be fully adopted by the 36 States, and in recognition of the slow uptake by the States, the former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, on January 14 2020 in a press statement called on states to implement the harmonization of the RoW charges for obvious benefits for the sector such as deepening development/growth in broadband infrastructure, and reducing the transfer of RoW charges costs by telecommunications companies to customers.

January 2020 recorded a step in the right direction when the Nigerian Governors Forum accordingly resolved that telecommunication operators were to pay N145 (approximately $0.37) per linear metre to lay fibre cable anywhere in the country.

Meanwhile, despite these, the telecom operators have continually complained about the different charges leveled by different states for the Right of Way.

According to them, the issue of the RoW has been worrisome affecting the laying of telecom infrastructure in some states in the country.

They said this has also been the bane of telecom services in some areas, especially in the cities where people do not enjoy the services.

The operators noted that if there is harmonisation and every state in the country abides by the rule, telecom services will be everywhere across the country.