Broadband Internet Access and Economic Productivity Among Technology Startups in Lagos: An Empirical Analysis

Access to reliable broadband internet infrastructure is widely regarded as foundational to the growth of the technology startup ecosystem, yet the relationship between broadband quality metrics and measurable economic productivity outcomes among Nigerian startups remains empirically underexplored. This study examines the effect of broadband internet access quality on economic productivity among technology startups in Lagos, South West Nigeria, the country's pre-eminent startup hub. A stratified random sample of 180 tech startups registered within the last five years was surveyed, with productivity operationalised through revenue growth rates, product development cycle times, and employee output metrics. Broadband quality was assessed through standardised connection speed tests conducted at respondent premises, supplemented by self-reported connectivity reliability measures. Panel data regression analysis, controlling for firm age, sector, and capitalisation, reveals that a 10 Mbps increase in average download speed is associated with a 7.3 percent improvement in self-reported productivity scores, while frequent connectivity outages exert a significant negative effect independent of average speed. Findings also reveal that startups in co-working spaces with dedicated fibre connections significantly outperform home-based counterparts on productivity metrics. The study recommends targeted broadband infrastructure investment in technology cluster zones as a public-private partnership priority. Keywords: broadband access, technology startups, economic productivity, Lagos, digital infrastructure.