The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has launched a nationwide campaign dubbed “Save Our Fibre”, aimed at tackling the persistent issue of fibre optic cable cuts that have been disrupting telecommunication services across the country.
The initiative seeks to raise awareness, prevent further damage, and ensure the stability of critical communication infrastructure.
The Chamber is deeply concerned about the high incidence of fibre cuts that have been damaging the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure and, in the process, impacting customers’ network experience. In the first half of 2024 alone, there were a total of 5,133 cuts across Ghana, of which the telecommunications industry ended up using GHS 118 million to repair these cuts. This means that funds that we could have used to expand and enhance the existing services had to be reallocated to repair these damaged fibre networks.
Fibre is a critical resource laid underground or strung above ground to connect to the network operating systems to provide faster data transfers, supporting high bandwidth applications and services. It ensures real-time communication and seamless connectivity.
Fibre is known to be very reliable, offering a secure choice for data transmission. Fibre optic cables serve as the backbone of Ghana’s telecommunications infrastructure, supporting internet, mobile, and data services.
However, frequent cable cuts—often caused by construction activities, roadworks, and illegal activities such as theft, have severely impacted service delivery. These disruptions lead to service outages, affecting businesses, emergency services, and everyday communications.
Although fibre is expected to be secure when buried underground, the experience in Ghana is quite different. There are frequent cuts and damages to fibre laid across the country. These frequent disruptions directly affect the quality and availability of telecom services to Ghanaians, disrupting communication, internet connectivity, and other essential services that rely on our networks.
These cuts, sadly, impact customer experiences. It creates congestion, poor voice calls, slow internet experience, and, in some cases, completely cuts off network services. This situation is unacceptable, and it undermines the significant investments made by telecom operators to deliver reliable services.
The Chamber seeks to educate the public, especially contractors and local authorities, about the importance of fibre cables to the country’s economy and daily life. The campaign will highlight the negative impact of fibre cuts on communication services and the need for vigilance when undertaking construction projects. Empowering citizens to be vigilantes about the safety of fibre cables.
“Our efforts include active participation in the National Engineering Coordinating Team (NECT) meetings, where we continue to push for better collaboration to protect telecom infrastructure during construction and utility activities.” the Chamber stressed.
The Chamber is also working with key stakeholders, including utility companies, road contractors, local governments, and law enforcement, to establish better coordination and preventive measures during infrastructure projects.
This includes improving protocols for notifying telecom companies before digging near fibre lines. Part of the campaign is advocating for stricter enforcement of laws and penalties against individuals or entities responsible for damaging fibre cables. The Chamber is pushing for stronger deterrents to reduce intentional and negligent cable damage.
The campaign will also encourage local communities to report suspicious activities, such as theft or vandalism, that could result in fibre cuts. By involving the public, the Chamber hopes to create a collective effort in safeguarding the infrastructure.
“The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications remains committed to ensuring that all subscribers enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality telecom services. We will continue to work tirelessly with all stakeholders to protect our nation’s telecom infrastructure and to hold accountable those who undermine it,” the press statement highlighted.
