Zoracom Communications Ltd. says increased investment in telecommunications infrastructure alone cannot guarantee resilient networks without real-time visibility, automation and cybersecurity.
The Executive Officer of Zoracom, Mr John Nwachukwu, made this known while delivering a presentation at the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF) 7.0 on Wednesday in Lagos.
The forum, themed “Rethinking Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy to Attract Investment and Drive Innovation,” brought stakeholders together to examine the country’s digital infrastructure future.
Nwachukwu said that while infrastructure investment remains important to the growth and sustainability of the telecommunications sector, it must be complemented by intelligent network management.
He said real-time visibility is critical to enabling operators to monitor network performance, identify disruptions and respond promptly to emerging challenges.
According to him, automation will further enhance network resilience by enabling faster detection and resolution of faults while reducing service downtime.
He also stressed the importance of cybersecurity in protecting telecom networks against evolving threats.
Nwachukwu said the combination of infrastructure investment, real-time visibility, automation and robust cybersecurity would help operators build more resilient and sustainable networks.
He urged stakeholders in the telecom sector to adopt technologies and strategies that improve network reliability and ensure uninterrupted services for consumers.
Nwachukwu said telecom operators must be able to identify emerging network instability, respond quickly and continuously protect critical infrastructure against disruptions and cyber threats.
He likened telecom networks to the national power grid, where failures can cascade rapidly when operators lack adequate visibility into emerging problems.
“Spending on capacity megawatts or fibre kilometres does not by itself prevent collapse,” he said.
Nwachukwu cited the 23 January national power generation collapse as an example of how infrastructure capacity can still experience widespread disruption.
He said the lesson for telecom operators is clear: infrastructure investment must be matched by systems capable of detecting instability before it becomes a major outage.
According to him, telecommunications has become increasingly important to Nigeria’s economy, contributing 9.72 per cent to real GDP in the second quarter of 2026.
He also cited Nigerian Communications Commission data indicating that Nigeria has more than 122.6 million active internet users.
Nwachukwu said rising internet adoption and data consumption are putting greater pressure on telecom infrastructure, making resilience increasingly important to operators and investors.
He said operators have invested heavily in infrastructure expansion, but continued network disruptions show that additional capacity alone cannot eliminate service failures.
Citing NCC data, Nwachukwu said 571 major outages involving 11 operators were recorded in the first quarter of 2026.
He said infrastructure vandalism and other external disruptions remain significant threats, with outages affecting customers, businesses and organisations that are increasingly dependent on digital connectivity.
Nwachukwu said the first requirement for building resilient networks is observability — the ability to see and understand what is happening across infrastructure.
“You cannot automate or secure something you do not see,” he said.
Nwachukwu said operators need visibility beyond fibre and IP networks to include Wi-Fi, firewalls, voice systems, servers, virtual machines, operating systems and cloud environments.
According to him, fragmented monitoring systems can prevent operators from obtaining a complete picture of network performance and emerging threats.
He advocated unified monitoring systems that can provide operators with comprehensive visibility across their digital infrastructure and enable faster identification of potential problems.
The executive officer said the second requirement is automation, which converts information obtained through network visibility into rapid and consistent action.
“Automation pulls that knowledge into action, at a speed and consistency no human being can match,” he said.
Nwachukwu said automation can reduce manual processes, accelerate service delivery and enable operators to respond more quickly to network incidents and customer requests.
He said Zoracom’s ServiceX platform is designed to integrate digital technologies and automate workflows involving stakeholders responsible for service delivery.
According to him, the third requirement is cybersecurity, which protects the confidentiality and integrity of information and critical digital infrastructure.
Nwachukwu highlighted the importance of monitoring access to critical systems, particularly when employees change roles or leave organisations.
He said automated security controls can help organisations track access privileges and ensure that former personnel no longer retain unnecessary access.
Nwachukwu described Zoracom’s approach as a three-layer resilience model built around the principles of see, act and defend.
He said MIRO Observability provides network visibility, ServiceX supports automation, while Fortrex Cybersecurity focuses on protection and risk management.
Nwachukwu said sustainable growth should mean increasing subscribers and traffic without a proportional increase in outages, operational failures or cybersecurity breaches.
He said Nigeria’s digital economy now depends on telecom networks functioning reliably, making resilience a critical consideration for future infrastructure investment.
Nwachukwu said the sector’s next phase should therefore combine infrastructure expansion with greater visibility, automation and cybersecurity.
He said such an approach would help create stronger foundations for investment, innovation and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s digital economy.
