Telecoms: Operators seek strict harmonised RoW charges

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Telecom operators 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.

“If such policy is wrong and strict, there will be unification in the charges for the Right of Way by all the states. And even the payment will be easy. And to make the policy strong, the Federal Government must declare telecom infrastructure as national infrastructure.

Once it becomes a national infrastructure, you don’t need to talk about being paid or not being paid.

All that the telco company needs to do is to pass through the agency that is in charge. You write the agency and get your cables laid.

Except the Right of Way affects someone’s building, which is very difficult. If it affects someone’s building, that is a different thing, but if it does not, what you just need is to get approval from the agency in charge. If this is achieved, the broadband penetration we are talking about will be easily expanded,” telco operators said.